The Future of Trunks: Saiyan Invasion
by TacitShinobi
Summary: After recovering the last set of Dragon Balls from his journey to New Namek, Trunks must fight one last battle to ensure the Earth's survival. With the help of Gohan, Leon and his friends, Trunks must confront the demons of his own past and those of his father's in order to fight off the Saiyan invasion and finally revive Shell with the Dragon Balls.
1. Chapter 1: Prelude to War

Chapter 1: Prelude to War

Trunks stood alone in his room. His room had grown dark in his absence. Objects lay scattered about. It was chaos, much like the last year of his life. After greeting everyone – including his weeping mother – night had fallen, and everyone had gone to sleep. He closed his door behind him, and switched on the light. He looked around his room. His desk was empty since he had not yet unloaded any of his belongings from the spaceship. It could wait for tomorrow. He dragged a folding chair over to his desk and sat down. His Saiyan Armor had dirt and dried blood in the cracks still. He grimaced as he pulled the armor plate and joint pads off. He hadn't changed clothes since he'd met Avien. While he hadn't paid it much mind before, being back in a clean civilization made him realize just how awful his clothes had come to smell. He undressed and found a pair of shorts to wear. He left his room for a quick shower and then returned and climbed into bed.

It felt as though he had laid there for hours, but only perhaps fifteen minutes had passed. As tired as he had become, he couldn't understand why sleep would be something so hard to embrace. But despite the fact his body was exhausted, his mind was still fresh with the thought of seeing Shell again. From the few moments he had spent with her on the Kai planet, he could still hear her soft voice and smell her scented skin. The contrast of her dark hair against her light toned skin and white dress made her shine even in the darkness of his room.

_"…We'll be together soon…"_ she had said to him, her voice still echoing in his ears.

He prayed that it was so. But it would be at least a year. He frowned. His wish had brought back his friend – his brother – Gohan. But for another battle… He was growing tired of battle. It was beginning to seem like the battles would just keep going… Until what? Until he, himself was killed? And, then what? The thought frustrated him. As the frustration of his race to revive Shell played over in his mind, eventually his brain followed the path of his exhausted body and sleep overtook him.

Trunks suddenly was awake again, but he awoke to a quite different setting. He stood in the middle of a war-torn city, as light precipitation rained down around him. Few buildings still stood, as most had been reduced to rubble and broken concrete strewn about the city. The streets were cracked and broken, creating small tidal pools among the lowest points in the cement. The gravesite of a once bustling city was quiet and empty. He could not sense life forces anywhere, only a burning rage. He sensed a hatred that was not quite like anything he had felt in a long time, yet familiar. It was an irrational, inconsolable hate, not evil like Majin Buu or empty like the Cybernetic brother of Frieza. This feeling was of pure, indiscriminate hate. It consumed the city. All around, he felt the weight of it suffocating him. It was piercing, and caused a slight hint of fear to run through his spine.

_"What is this?"_ Trunks asked himself silently. _"It feels… so heavy…"_

Suddenly the overwhelming weight lifted, then focused to a single point. He could sense it; feel it materializing. The hatred he felt all around seemed to manifest itself physically. As he looked where he felt the rage congregating, there was a flash of bright, yellow light, and then nothing. Everything was gone, and he was alone in the darkness. He couldn't breathe. The hatred he felt, along with the city graveyard and any sign of life all dissolved into a void, and he felt himself lightly floating through a sea of emptiness. He felt the voluntary notion to breathe, but couldn't. He tried to move his fingers and even to move his eyes, but he couldn't. Everything had stopped around him, and every sense he once had of the world around him was gone.

Trunks snapped awake and sat, gasping for air, in his bed. Had he died? It felt as though he'd not taken a breath in several minutes. He sat for several moments trying to catch his breath and let the adrenaline in his veins subside. As he calmed, Trunks glanced at the digital face of the clock on the table. It read 03:00 AM. He frowned, and wiped the small beads of sweat from his brow. He wanted to get some sleep because he knew it would be a long day come sunrise. But as he sat there, Trunks could feel that sleep wasn't something that would come easily that night.

Getting out of bed, he dressed in gym pants and a t-shirt and left his room as silently as he could manage. As he left the mansion, he made his way to the garage hangar that housed the spaceship he had used to travel to New Namek. Small patches of microorganisms that had latched to the hull while at distant planets had now thawed from their icy space-cocoons and glistened against the steel hull in the fluorescent lighting of the hangar bay. It briefly crossed his mind that the exposure of such foreign organisms could potentially alter the existence of life on Earth; but as they had already begun reproducing, he concluded that any damage had already been done. Clearing away the remains could wait.

Trunks entered the ship and made his way to the navigation room just below the cockpit space. He cleared away maps and charts for space navigation from his desk. Under the corner of one such chart was a leather bound book. It was his journal. Trunks smiled to himself as he pushed the charts aside causing some to fall to the floor like leaves. He picked up his journal and brushed off the dust it had collected. He sat down and began to read back over the entries he had made. Ever since he had returned from the alternate past he and Cell had created, he had chronicled his life in his journal. He smiled sarcastically for a moment at the thought of what a sick joke it would be to travel back in time and plant his chronicle in a place that he knew his past self would find it. It would be somewhat interesting to see how many alternate dimensional planes of time sequencing he could create.

Suddenly he felt a rush of anxiety and adrenaline flush through his body. He felt as though there was another person in the room, but he couldn't sense a life force. At first it was a flash of fear, much like the sensation one feels when momentarily losing one's balance, but then it began to subside into the familiar, penetrating feeling of anger in the room with him. He felt the weight of the invisible rage bearing down again on him from all sides. As he bolted to his feet, the small chair in which he had sat flew across the room and crashed into the far wall.

_"What the hell is that?!"_ Trunks thought. _"It's everywhere, and yet there's nothing here!"_

After a moment, he could sense the same rage from his dreams materializing in one spot. It was onboard the ship! Trunks began to feel panic gripping him. If his dream had been any indication of what would follow, he suddenly felt as though he was staring mortality in the invisible, livid face. Cold sweat droplets formed at his brow as he frantically tried to sense the epicenter of the mysterious force that weighed on him like a train resting on flea. Then, Trunks felt it; but it wasn't in the Navigation room. However, it was in the ship. He ran to the next space, then to the next. A level lower! He ran to the stairwell and slid down the ladder well, his gym pants almost snagging on an edge. It was in his living quarters, and, as he neared the door, Trunks began to glow as he shifted into his Super Saiyan form. Not sure what was inside, he readied himself, then bolted through the door.

The room was empty, but the looming weight in the air persisted. Confused, Trunks looked around the room. Then slowly, the weight began to retract and isolate itself in the far edge of the space. Trunks followed it with his eyes as he increased his power, ready for a fight. But, nothing happened. There was no explosion, no villain leaped to attack. It was silent, save the steady breathing of a Super Saiyan and the overwhelming weight of a nameless rage that lurked in the room. The epicenter of what Trunks felt seemed to come from the locker storage against the far wall. Filled with a combination of fear, confusion, and anxiety, Trunks edged closer, cautiously and slowly. Every instinct and muscle in his body was poised to attack, as he carefully approached the storage locker.

He reached out one hand to lift the small metal latch, and as the bolt cleared the frame, Trunks could feel the weight difference lunge as the door of the locker was thrown open from the inside. Instinctively, he jumped backwards taking a strong defensive posture for a counter attack. The door to the locker flew open with a bang as it hit the metal frame, and a short thin object fell to floor with a heavy thump that rocked the ship slightly. The weight immediately lifted from the room, and the looming anger Trunks had felt surrounding him suddenly vanished. As he began to relax his arms and legs from his fighting stance, his gold hair darkened to its normal shade of purple. He sighed heavily letting all the air leave his lungs and drew in another large breath. On his face was a solemn look of bewilderment and disbelief. He once again wiped the sweat from his brow as he stared at the article on the floor in front of him, trying to make any measurable amount of sense from the events of that early morning. With no logical explanation within grasp, he silently walked over and shut the locker door. He hesitated, then knelt down and picked up the Z Sword and left the room.

Sword in one hand, he returned to the Navigation room to retrieve his journal.

_"What the hell is going on?"_ he asked himself.

After retrieving his journal, he left the ship and flew quietly up to a balcony on one of the higher floors of the mansion. He propped the sword against the balcony ledge and sat down in a nearby lawn chair with his journal. Before opening his journal, Trunks stared into the hilt of his Z Sword for several minutes pondering the events that had taken place.

_"That feeling…"_ he thought, _"…Where have I felt it before? It's familiar, yet I just can't place it."_

Trunks continued to reflect for several more minutes before abandoning the thought. He opened his journal and continued where he had left off before he was interrupted. It was soothing to read back over his adventures and remember all the times when things seemed hopeless, but there was always Goku and Gohan to give him faith that things would be okay. His mother had been right about Goku. Before he had traveled back in time, she had always talked about how no matter how terrible things got, Goku would find a way to make things right. He remembered all the stories she had told him as a boy about her adventures with Goku on Planet Namek. It made him smile even as he read.

A steady wind blew past as Trunks sat reading. It made a faint howl as it flowed around the edges of the balcony's outside walls. As the breeze hit Trunks, his hair lightly danced in the wind's wake. But as he read, the gentle howling became a quiet voice. His eyes broke from the pages and he stared into the gleaming hilt of the Z Sword. He looked around the balcony for a moment. He was alone. The wind tossed lightly, increasing and decreasing in strength; never becoming powerful, but never diminishing completely.

As Trunks waved off his concern as paranoia, he started to open his journal again, and then he stopped. It was unmistakable. As the wind blew, the soft howling and whipping faintly covered a voice. He could hear it… couldn't he? He shook his head and ran his hand through his hair. Perhaps he was becoming delusional from lack of sleep.

The wind again whispered a name as it blew.

Trunks dropped his journal. It rolled as it hit the ground and opened to no particular page, and the pages began to dance in the wind as they turned. He stood and walked to the edge of the balcony, leaning over the ledge trying to hear the wind's words.

He strained hard to listen to the name he thought he had heard.

_"What?"_ he asked himself. _"What is that?"_

The wind picked up slightly, and between the sound of turning pages, he could swear the voice became louder.

_"Kakarot,"_ it whispered, the clarity displaced by the sound of the pages of his journal.

"What?" Trunks asked aloud, not comprehending the word exactly.

Irritated by the sound of the turning pages in his journal, Trunks intended to stop the distraction; but as he turned and reached for his journal, he lightly clipped the edge of the Z Sword and it crashed to the floor. Following the train wreck of noise, one unmistakable word cut through the wind in the night: _Kakarot_. Still bent sideways, reaching vainly for the sword that had already fallen out of reach, Trunks' focus faded on the sword and centered on the journal in his hand. The wind still gently fought to turn the page, but Trunks' finger held firmly on the page in front of him. Too many senses to describe overcame him at once. The inevitable answer stared back at him just as the weight of hatred had tried to suffocate him earlier. The journal entry in front of him was his account of his fight with Broly.


	2. Chapter 2: Almost a Moment's Rest

Chapter 2: Almost a Moment's Rest

Trunks squinted as bright beams of light crept over the city landscape. He watched as the subtle twilight began to fade, and the yellow waves of sunlight rose and now forced his pupils to contract. Ever since he had heard Goku's Saiyan name, it had resonated repeatedly in his mind. He had spent the early hours of the morning meditating on the meaning of all that had transpired during the night. He had even read his journal entry concerning Broly at least four times over. Broly was one of the toughest warriors he had ever fought. He smiled to himself.

_"If you could even consider it a fight…" _he thought. _"More of a thirty-second beat down. We didn't stand a chance. If Goku hadn't been there…"_

"Then what?" the Supreme Kai asked as he stepped out onto the balcony. "Would you have just given up?"

Trunks glanced over his shoulder at the old Kai.

"Frankly, I don't know if I would have been able to get back up," Trunks replied.

"Perhaps not," Shin agreed, "but then you were relying on Goku. This time, Goku will not be here to stop Broly. It will be up to you and Gohan."

"When I saw Gohan last night," Trunks began, "I could sense how strong he has become. We're both much stronger than when I fought Broly in the past, Supreme Kai. But, chronologically we should have fought him years ago when the Androids were still around. We didn't, and so now I wonder how much stronger Broly has become since then?"

Shin remained silent to the Saiyan's question. Trunks turned to face him, leaning back against the fence at the balcony's edge.

"I was afraid of that," he inferred from the Kai's lack of reply. "Not to mention the fact that the second time I traveled through time, the androids from the past were far stronger than the ones from the future. It only makes me wonder what other things changed. What if the enemies I've faced so far have been far weaker than they were in the past. What if my luck runs out?"

"You can't change it even if it is so, Trunks," Shin said softly. "It wouldn't do to dwell on questions beginning with 'what if.'"

"Suppose you're right," the young Saiyan agreed. "You usually are."

"Not always," the Supreme Kai said with a smile, "but usually, yes."

"Have you told the others?" Trunks asked.

Shin hesitated for a moment. "Not completely," he admitted. "They know that the enemy will be other Saiyans."

"Your two warriors," Trunks began, "are they aware of what my kind can do? Do they have any idea what could be in store for them?"

"I haven't lied to them, Trunks, since that's what you're really asking," the Kai replied with a small hint of defense. "They both came of their own accords... To help you, Trunks… To help us."

"I don't mean any disrespect, Supreme Kai," he said, correcting himself. "I just don't know if this is their fight. I don't know if this is any of our friends' fights."

"I'm certain Broly won't see it that way," the Kai refuted. "Goku won't be here this time. But you have Gohan on your side."

"It's probably for the best that Goku isn't here," Trunks agreed. "Goku's mere presence was part of Broly's incredible rage and a key to his strength."

"Then what troubles you so much, my friend?" Shin asked directly.

Trunks remained quiet for a moment, reflecting on all he had witnessed earlier.

"I'm not sure," he said finally.

"Nor should you be," the Supreme Kai replied after reading the thoughts of the night's events, still fresh in the young Sayian's mind. "Death is certain for all mortals, but not tomorrow or the next day. Do not despair over everything you see in the sword, Trunks. The future isn't always written in stone."

"What if it's fate?" Trunks asked.

"Only you can determine that," Shin answered solemnly, "but if it's any consolation, I believe that when one hero falls, another will take his place. Did it ever occur to you that perhaps Goku was _meant_ to pass on?"

Trunks was quiet for a moment.

"In the past," he began, "in order to destroy Cell, Goku sacrificed himself to destroy that monster. I died in the conflict, but was brought back by the Dragon Balls of that timeline. Goku actually stopped us from wishing him back by communicating telepathically from Otherworld with Gohan. He told us that it seemed like as long as he was around, more enemies would just come to Earth to pick a fight, killing innocent people in the process. I just wonder if he was right? I didn't ask him about it the last time I was there. I only asked about New Namek."

"I do not think that your death will save Earth," Shin said blatantly. "Besides, if you spoke to him, he had to have been revived at some point. I'm asking you, my friend, to please stop dwelling on these images the sword has put in your mind. This is a time to be focused on the fight ahead, not contemplate your own mortality. Remember Shell. Reuniting with her should be your only goal, and this battle is one last obstacle in your path to succeeding in that goal."

The Saiyan fell silent again, taking in all that the Supreme Kai had said. He was right. Shell should be all that mattered to him. Why this sudden obsession with the time and place of his own death?

"The impact of the reality of death can be a heavy one," Shin said aloud, interrupting his thoughts. "You are my dear friend, Trunks. And I ask you, as your friend, to try to manage your feelings on this matter. Rely on your friends. They have followed you this far. They will follow you to the end. Don't let this cloud your judgment. You have survived longer than any of your friends from the past, Trunks. You have been one of the only survivors of an entire race. We have come this far, now let us finish this. Together, we will overcome this last barrier, and bring back our friends who gave their lives that you and I might live."

The sun had come up, and in the morning light, the city glistened and the sounds of life slowly began to resound. It would be a beautiful day. Trunks smiled lightly.

"Thank you, Supreme Kai," he said after another long pause. "You're right. We should be thankful that we are here; not worry about when we won't be."

"I agree whole-heartedly, my friend," Shin agreed. "And it has become a glorious morning on this planet. I can sense the peace resonating from the planet itself. Why don't we go enjoy a moment of that peace? Everyone will surely be awake soon, and there is much for everyone to catch up on. We should enjoy the time that we have, and today is a good day to do just that."

Trunks smiled and picked up his journal and the Z Sword and followed the Supreme Kai back into the mansion.

The rest of the day was a welcome change from the last several months of his life. His mother prepared a quick breakfast for everyone so that they could enjoy a wholesome barbeque in the courtyard that afternoon for lunch and dinner. The smell of grilled meats filled the air around the Capsule Corp Mansion. The afternoon was an eventful one, filled with stories from each person about the events that had transpired on each individual's travels.

Trunks told the longest story, starting from the time that Gohan was killed and continuing to the present; mostly for the sake of Gohan, as he new some things, but not details. Gohan listened carefully, amazed by the long road that Trunks had followed through the past and very proud of his once-pupil who was no longer the student. He gave Trunks a little teasing (along with Bulma) when Trunks first mentioned Shell, but showed mirroring emotions of sadness when Trunks told of her untimely death to save his life. Trunks told the rest of his story about the journey to New Namek (leaving out some of the more emotional portions concerning Avien to prevent embarrassing her), and how Dende and Avien had helped him destroy Cooler and escape the planet.

Gohan told his story of the Otherworld and his adventures there with Goku, Vegeta, and Piccolo. He explained to Trunks about how he had learned a few new tricks from his father, and about how Goku and Vegeta almost destroyed Otherworld during a world tournament that was hosted there.

"They were the final bout," he had explained, "and their power was so incredible, the entire world shook! The fight was considered a draw because the Grand Kai ordered them to stop before they destroyed the entire Otherworld! Your dad was so pissed! I wish you could've seen it, Trunks!"

Gohan told his story with an abundance of enthusiasm. Trunks smiled at the fact that Gohan had managed to find adventure even in death.

Following Gohan's story, Dende explained how Cooler had come to New Namek and taken over, and then reiterated how Trunks had managed to liberate the planet from Cooler's evil reign, despite the planet's end. Also, Leon explained to Trunks about his work with the city police following Trunks' departure from the planet, and how he had helped to bring down some of the crime lords in the city. Afterwards, Baleck and Garice both shared their stories of adventures in the South Galaxy. While Baleck and Garice were from different planets in the South Galaxy, they had both seen their fair share of combat, possessing power levels that dwarfed Avien and challenged even Dende. It was a rejuvenating afternoon for everyone. The day had blossomed into a warm, sunny day, joined by a gentle ocean breeze that had made its way through the labyrinth of buildings to the small courtyard behind Capsule Corp Mansion.

They spent the rest of the afternoon enjoying a day without worry. Trunks managed to forget about his dream and upsetting experience with the Z Sword. They all relished the gorgeous day and exquisite barbeque that Bulma had prepared for everyone. It was the first happy day that had passed since Shell died. Bulma was glad to see Trunks enjoying himself and being almost human again. She took as many pictures as she could snap and planned to hang up the new photos throughout the mansion. It had been a long time since they had a family gathering. After the group (with the exception of Shin, Bulma, and Avien) had started a game of volleyball, Bulma sat down with Avien at the patio table.

"Kids, you'd better not put any volleyball blasts through the house!" she called to them as they played. "So help me, I'll beat them all if they bring down a wall," she said, turning her attention to Avien. "So where are you from, dear?" she asked Avien.

"Oh, I'm from a planet much like this one," the alien princess replied shakily, trying not to ruin the setting by mentioning that it had been destroyed. "It's very beautiful like it is here on your Earth. It has sapphire blue oceans, and emerald green forests, and vast, bustling cities. It has actually been fought for by neighboring conquerors for several years, but my father united the people of the planet under his kingdom before I was born and managed to defend the planet."

"Wow," Trunks' mother commented. "It sounds like a lovely place to live... And so you're a princess too? Tell me, what are the princes like on your planet?" Bulma added a flirtatious wink to her question.

"Uh-h, what?" Avien asked, startled by the sudden question.

"You know," Bulma continued playfully, "A handsome guy that spends his time – and money – making you happy. Wish I had been that lucky…" Bulma's expression changed visibly to an inward, sour look as she added the last remark. She paused for a second in self-reflection before her sour look faded and she pleasantly added, "I may not seem so now, but I used to be quite the bombshell myself."

Avien was visibly uncomfortable as she shifted in her chair. "I'm an only child," she explained. "And my father hasn't decided on a suitable husband for me yet."

"You have arranged marriages?" Bulma asked, somewhat floundered. "Sweetie, you can make up your own decision as to who to marry. Besides what does your mother think of that?"

"Well," the princess began slowly, "I don't know what my mother would think. She died soon after I was born."

"Oh!" Bulma gasped, embarrassed by her previous question. "Oh, my dear, I'm very sorry."

"Don't worry about it," Avien replied, feeling more comfortable averting the topic of men. "It's been a long time, and Dad never talked much about her. All I know is that, according to him, I look a lot like her."

"Well she must have been a beautiful woman," Bulma complimented. "But, as a mother, I think she would not have stood for her only daughter having to accept marriage to someone she didn't get to choose. Besides, you seem too independent for that sort of thing. Of course, I don't mean any offense to your customs." Bulma added the last part half-heartedly, as it was more tact than honesty.

"Thank you…?" Avien replied uncomfortably, hoping that it was the right response.

"If you like, I could introduce you to some guys here," Bulma offered, firing back up the topic of courtship. "Matter-of-fact, I'm not too shabby of a match-maker even at my age now," Bulma continued proudly. "I practically had to push Trunks out the door to meet Shell, and look at them now. He's traveled half way around the universe to wish her back with the Dragon Balls. He's such a sweetheart, that boy. I'm so proud of him. But I'm just rambling, how would you like to try a date with Leon? or Gohan? I mean just look at all the cute guys over there playing volleyball! Were it me, I'd be throwing some signs, dear."

Bulma ended her short rant with a quiet giggle and a wink. A bead of sweat rolled down the side of Avien's face.

_"Am I really having this conversation with Trunks' mom right now?"_ Avien screamed inside her head. _"Please make her stop!"_

Bulma let the pause go for almost two seconds before tossing her pitch again.

"Hey, if you're shy, don't worry. I'll set you up. You won't have to worry about a thing."

Unsure of how to tell Bulma that she wasn't interested in anyone besides her son, Avien settled with a muffled, "Okay."

"Okay!" Bulma shouted victoriously, "So now I just need to know what kind of guys you're into, and then I'll find the perfect one for you!"

_"What the hell have I gotten myself into?"_ was Avien's only thought.

While Bulma harassed Avien and the rest of the group played a quasi-harmless game of volleyball, the Supreme Kai sat quietly alone in the shade of a nearby tree. He meditated silently about the vision Trunks had in his dream, and the series of events that had followed throughout the early hours of that morning. He pondered deeply for their meanings. Was it possible that this battle would claim his friend's life? Could the Saiyan menace looming on the horizon really be so strong as to destroy two Super Saiyans? It hardly seemed possible. The visions must have meant something different. Perhaps Trunks had spent too much time with the sword. He had gained so many powers of the Kais from his constant connection to the Z Sword. It was unnatural for a mortal to be forced to see the future, especially to his own end, were that the case.

Shin blamed himself. Were it not for his failure millennia ago, there would never have been a need for Trunks to use the Z Sword. His friend would not be tormented by visions and mind manipulations of a weapon not meant for mortals. He sighed inwardly. However, if everything had not happened the way it had, Trunks would have died alone trying to defend the world from the Saiyan invasion that was moving closer every hour. Perhaps the fate to which the Supreme Kai clung so dearly yet had a plan for life rather than death. He prayed it was so.

Eventually the sun sat on the day that Earth's heroes had relished in so gratifyingly. Everyone retired to the mansion's sanctity, and found rooms to sleep. Trunks was exhausted. He had hardly slept the night before, and it had become quite late in the evening. Following the volleyball game that Gohan, Dende, and Baleck had proven to be the better competitors at, they had ended the evening with pleasant conversation and talks of old times. Strangely, Bulma had called Leon away to talk about something. Trunks didn't know about what exactly, but, at the moment, he didn't care.

Gohan had mentioned flying home to see his mother and grandfather, and, sadly, Trunks had to explain about their deaths during Majin Buu's wave of carnage on the city. He felt sorrowful for his Saiyan brother. Gohan had no family left, except Trunks and Bulma. He looked forward to wishing back all those killed by Majin Buu. Not only would he be reunited with Shell, but it was also bring back Chi Chi and Ox King. It wasn't perfect, but it was a few of the pieces that were left of the once solid window that had been Trunks and Gohan's lives before the androids.

As he reached his own bedroom, he stripped down to his shorts and climbed into bed not bothering to take out the hair band that held the tail of his still long hair. He was asleep almost instantly.

"Wake up, Trunks," a soft voice whispered. "You've slept all day, silly."

Trunks slowly opened his eyes, squinting into the afternoon light. As his eyes began to focus, he smiled lovingly up at Shell.

"You know, if you slept in this late too often, you might get fat," she teased. "What would I do with you then?" she asked smiling back at him.

"Is this real?" was the only thing Trunks could grasp the clarity to say aloud.

Outside the room, he could hear birds singing in the afternoon sun, and a gentle spring breeze passed softly through the window. He was in the bed of a house he had never been inside before, and Shell sat next to him on the edge of the mattress wearing only a white, sleeveless pajama top that covered down to her upper thighs. She was absolutely beautiful.

"It's almost like a dream isn't it?" Shell asked, curiously twisting the meaning of his question. "After all we've gone through just to get to this moment?"

She slid across the mattress and laid her upper body across his.

"Shell," Trunks whispered, still in disbelief.

"I'm glad your awake," she said, interrupting. "I don't want to spend a day without you ever again."

Tenderly, she lowered her face to his and kissed him as her long dark hair spread out over them.

"I missed you," she whispered in between a kiss.

"I've missed you," Trunks replied with a deep exhale as hormones began to fill his blood stream.

Shell maneuvered her legs around his torso until she straddled him, sighing deeply against his ear as she kissed about his face. Simultaneously, Trunks put one arm around her lower back and pulled her body tightly against his own, while his other hand went around the back of her head and he kissed at the soft spots on her neck.

"I love you, Tru-," she almost completed, before a deafening explosion tore through the house, tossing both of their bodies violently through the wall adjacent them.

After smashing into the ground and rolling several feet, Trunks gained his bearing, and staggered to his feet. His body ached and his shorts were virtually incinerated. He stood, essentially naked, looking frantically for Shell through the smoke and fire of what was a house only moments before. She had landed unconscious about twenty feet away from him, her top scorched and torn about the shoulder strap and waist, revealing more than she would normally show.

Trunks rocketed forward through the air to where she lay, fearing broken bones to be the least of his worries. Just as he was within arm's reach, he felt a sudden pull on his left leg and the same hatred and malice he had felt in his dream before. Unable to move forward any further, he looked over his shoulder at the massive arm that extended from his foot up to the gigantic shoulder and frame that was Broly.

"Did I interrupt?" the massive Super Saiyan sneered.

"I'll tear you apart!" Trunks shouted as he transformed into a Super Saiyan 2 and shook loose his foot for a counter attack.

As Broly released his foot, Trunks flipped to the ground and kicked hard to fly back towards Broly. He swung over-handed hard with his right hand, but Broly moved and caught the follow-through snuggly in his massive right hand. Broly pulled Trunks' arm forward while concurrently backhanding the half-Saiyan with his massive left hand. Trunks' head snapped back with a loud crack and grunt. As Trunks remained horizontal for a split second from the inertia, Broly brought both of his enormous club-like fists together and hammer smashed Trunks' chest downward. The young Saiyan hit the ground so hard it caused his body to whiplash and, subsequently, bounce off the soil and back into the air just high enough for Broly to rest his boot on Trunks' torso and then stomp him back into the ground with more audible cracks and groans.

Trunks shouted stridently in pain. He was sure that his ribs were broken, and the fight had barely started. The same blood-chilling fear from the spaceship navigation room began to fill his veins. Broly removed his foot and began to walk towards Shell's lifeless body.

"Leave her alone, you bastard!" Trunks shouted in as much anger as pain from his broken ribs.

"The worst I'll do is kill her," Broly said indifferently.

He stopped and stood over her tiny, burned body.

"Let's see how much you really love her," the Legendary Super Saiyan ridiculed. "Look at the filthy little whore. All of her parts hanging out for the world to see."

Broly outstretched his hand towards her body and opened his palm. Instantly, three green energy pulses culminated into one glowing orb in his hand and then, the one orb grew in size roughly to that of an inflatable beach ball.

"I know that if you're properly motivated you can move pretty far, little Trunks," Broly challenged. "I think this is fairly good motivation, so let's see what you'll do. Will you teleport yourself and this little slut away, letting the entire Earth fall victim to my wrath, or will you go and find your little sword and try to save this miserable planet at the expense of your little bitch?"

Trunks bit his lip as he attempted to use his teleport technique to get Shell out of harm's way. Just as he found the focus to get Shell and himself to the Supreme Kai's planet, Broly's patience was over.

"Too late," Broly said grimly.

Everything around them exploded instantaneously, vaporizing the immediate area and breaking apart the very fabric that held the planet together. The last thing that Trunks felt was the same overwhelming fear of mortality and the pain of failure.

Trunks snapped awake and sat up in his bed, soaking wet in cold sweat and panting heavily. After a few moments he caught his breath and calmed down.

_"What the hell is wrong with me?"_ he asked himself.

He glanced at the bedside clock. It read 04:00 AM. At least he had made it an hour longer than the previous night. He looked past the clock's display at the Z Sword that lay across his desk. His facial muscles tightened. Come sunrise he had much to do to prepare for what was ahead. He needed to be ready; he needed some rest. His head hurt mildly; probably from the lack of sleep he guessed. He got out of bed and left his room for a bathroom visit and a glass of water downstairs.

As he poured himself a glass of water, he thought about his fight with Broly in the past. Working a strategy in his head, he played out the way the story had unfolded in the past and speculated about how it could play out now. He expected Broly's father, Paragus, would attempt to befriend Gohan and himself. Paragus had wanted to use Earth as his home base from which – with the opposition out of the way – he would use Broly as his bloodhound to govern his empire. But would it play out the same way? Paragus had also wanted revenge for his exile from planet Vegeta. With his father now dead, Trunks suspected that vengeance would fall to himself.

_"Damn sword,"_ he cursed silently. _"Would it just be too easy if it showed me events that would actually help?"_

He contemplated just giving the sword back to the Supreme Kai. Did he really need it anymore? He wasn't sure. A part of him wanted to be rid of it, if for nothing else than to retain what sense of normal he still had. While being able to teleport around the universe and see the future were all very appealing skills at first glance, he considered the fact that those same skills were part of what was keeping him awake at night instead of resting for a major battle, as he should be. His thoughts drug him back to the feelings he felt in his dreams: the fear of mortality; the pain of death on his body. It had seemed so real.

If he were to die in the coming days, he really didn't want to know it. But that couldn't be right; Shell had said herself that they would be together soon. He trusted her far above his own fears. Though he couldn't figure out why he didn't feel confident that he and Gohan would be able to stop an enemy that he fought when he was one hundred times weaker than he was now. There was no way he _and_ Gohan could lose, right?

He finished his glass of water with a mild sleeping aid. One way or another, he planned to get some sleep that night. He went back to his room and crawled into bed. He could feel a moderate amount of relief as he exhaled with a sigh and began to relax his body. It seemed as though it had been forever since he had relaxed. He was asleep within minutes, and finally slept peacefully for the next few hours.


	3. Chapter 3: Hot Tea Over Ice

Chapter 3: Hot Tea Over Ice

Sounds of movement awoke Leon from his sleep. He looked at the clock on the far side of the room. It read 04:30 AM. He scanned the room briefly and then rolled over in bed. He lay there for a moment trying to settle back in and go to sleep. Despite his best efforts, sleep was not coming back. He lay in bed for a few moments more, contemplating some of what Mrs. Brief had told him about Avien several hours before. It was still fresh in his mind.

_"For a single woman, she sure likes to push other people into relationships,"_ Leon thought to himself.

While Trunks and the others had sat in the massive living room area and traded stories the night prior, Bulma had asked Leon to help her with moving some of the grilling equipment inside the small garage next to the patio. While Leon moved the grill for her, Bulma had decided to inform Leon of Avien's alleged interest in him.

"I barely know her, Mrs. Brief," he had argued.

"So what?" Bulma had insisted. "That lovely girl just falls out of the sky and winks your way, and you aren't interested?"

"I haven't seen her winking," Leon had said with a light laugh. "Brooding, maybe. She seems… angry… or irritated, at least. I only see her smile or be anything other than serious when she talks to Trunks."

"Well, Trunks is taken," she had immediately interjected. "And, besides, she wasn't _brooding_ when she talked to me. I think she might like you, dear. She's a sweet girl, and a looker to boot."

"…And royalty," he had interjected. "I'm _not_ royalty."

"I wasn't either," she had replied. "And look at how well Trunks' father and I turned out."

Leon had fought hard to keep from laughing.

"I think it's a different matter when it's the other way around," he had insisted.

"Oh, men and their egos," Bulma had said with sour face, her demeanor changed.

"I don't mean to–," he had started but didn't finish.

"No," she had interrupted him, "I know. I was young once too, kiddo. Men haven't changed since then either. Afraid the retail value of their penises will decrease should they marry a breadwinner. I grew up as a rich girl, you know, so the secret's out".

Leon had vividly blushed.

"I, I don't think she's that interested, Mrs. Brief," he had said, resolved. "I don't think I'm good enough for what she's looking for."

"Have you asked her?" Bulma had asked. "Because I have."

"Touché," he had said admittedly before promising that he would talk to her at least.

Now he lay in bed kicking himself for giving in. He rolled back over, staring at the door to the room. Leon blinked heavily and then focused, working to sense who was in the kitchen down the hall.

_"Of course it's her, why wouldn't it be?"_ he thought to himself.

He contemplated once more his promise to Ms. Brief, and then, reluctantly, got out of bed and dressed in gym pants and a t-shirt before leaving the bedroom.

Avien had been unable to sleep well since arriving. Even as tired as she was her first night on Earth, she tossed and turned incessantly. Leaving her home to help Trunks find the Dragon Balls had given her something to focus on besides the tragic loss of her father and home. However, with the excitement behind them for a moment, her sadness weighed heavily on her heart and mind. She sat alone in the kitchen with a small glass of freshly brewed hot tea. As she sipped at the warm liquid, she reminisced of childhood memories with her father. He would often tell her stories of how he had fought to unify the kingdoms of their planet, Soras, and retired from his war following victory. She remembered his stories of how, once the kingdoms were united under his leadership as Coranos, Lord of Soras, he had married Avien's mother, Naevi.

He had boasted that it was the largest ceremony the planet had ever hosted. However, she speculated he had likely stretched the truth a bit, as was his fashion. Coranos had told her that the unification of kingdoms was what had enabled him to defend Soras from neighboring conquerors for years. After Avien was born, and her mother passed on, she remembered numerous times that her father's leadership throughout the kingdoms was indeed what had fended off galactic sieges. She smiled to herself as she remembered her father's internal conflicts with raising a girl alone. Her father had invested in a small army of handmaidens to help teach Avien about the more feminine things that Coranos had not dared to attempt. However, he had also taken no modest amount of pride in her interest in fighting and strategy. She remembered that combat was a lesson he had reserved to teach himself. She recalled one memory of him punching one of the trainers for landing a legitimate hit to her face once. She had scolded him for being too soft…

Tears swelled in the corners of her eyes as she thought of her father and the wonderful memories she had of him. She wished that she had arrived in time to save him. She thought back to that faithful day. Not more than a week had gone by since Trunks had rescued her from Chandarin's prison. She remembered how he had looked at her when she kissed him for rescuing her from their cell. His rejection still bothered her. She had genuinely wanted to thank him, despite his brutal methods, but he was numb to it. Then when she had learned of Shell, it made more sense. He was in love, but not with her. She had promised to leave him alone, but a part of her sill wished that he would let the past be. She knew that he would never care for her if he still clung to the past. However, in a year it wouldn't matter, because he would just wish Shell back with Dende's magic orbs and then she would have to wait another year before she could return to her home… alone.

The tears that had filled the edges of her eyes before began to run lightly down her smooth cheeks.

"Are you okay?" a voice asked from the entrance of the kitchen.

Avien's nervous system jarred in a shiver, nearly spilling her tea.

"Don't you people knock on this planet?" she barked irritatingly, sniffing and wiping the tears from her face.

"There's no door to the kitchen," Leon explained.

"Well," she reconsidered, still irritated, "you should at least announce yourself or wear a bell instead of sneaking up on people."

"I just asked if you were okay," he reiterated defensively. "I wasn't trying to scare you."

"You didn't scare me," she snapped.

There was an awkward pause where they held each other's eyes, but weren't sure what to say.

"Okay…" Leon reluctantly agreed with raised eyebrows.

"Don't you people sleep at this time?" she asked dismissingly, wanting to be alone with her sadness.

Bulma's voice in Leon's head asking him to promise to talk to her was all that kept him from asking, _"What do you mean 'you people?'"_ and putting the bitch in her place.

"I couldn't sleep," Leon said politely.

"Why?" she asked with a little less aggression in her voice.

"Anxiety," Leon lied. "Hoping we won't all be dead in a day or two."

That last part was less of a lie.

"You're afraid to die, then?" she inquired.

"I can't think of too many people that are eager for it," he retorted as his defensive connotation returned.

She took a sip from her hot tea.

"Look, I'm sorry if I bothered you," Leon began saying while looking for a nonverbal invitation to stay.

Avien sat silently at the porcelain bar staring at him.

"It's just that I couldn't sleep, and thought I would get a glass of water," he continued, still looking for the invitation.

"Glasses are in that cupboard," she told him blankly as she pointed.

"…Right."

Exhausted with the game, Leon walked over to the cupboard, got a glass, and filled it with water. He turned to face Avien and then walked to the opening to the kitchen. Before he left, he turned to look at Avien one more time and raised his glass.

"Cheers, your Majesty" he remarked sarcastically with a smirk and took a large gulp.

He swallowed hard, and turned to walk out of the kitchen.

"Wait!" Avien called out.

Leon hesitated, then stopped and looked back at her.

"Who told you I was royalty?" she asked with narrow eyes.

Leon kicked himself.

"Didn't Trunks say something about it when he told us about you two traveling to New Namek?" he asked unconvincingly.

"No," she replied flatly.

"Either Trunks said you were," Leon lied desperately, "or it was just a lucky guess."

"You're a terrible liar," Avien accused. "Bulma told you."

Leon remained silent, abstaining to deny it. His temper began to heat up, realizing that tact no longer really mattered.

"Or I just figured it out from the way you were acting," he replied coolly.

"The way I was acting?" she asked defensively.

"I distinctly remember something about 'you people,'" Leon reminded her.

"And what about 'you people?'" she asked, challenging him.

Leon exhaled deeply, trying his best to maintain his composure. It was still early in the morning; he didn't want to wake up everyone with a fight.

"Would you like some hot tea?" Avien asked suddenly, switching her demeanor.

"What?" Leon asked confused.

"Tea," she repeated. "Do you want some?"

"…Sure?" he replied, but rather unsure of why he was agreeing.

He moved hesitantly across the kitchen to sit across from her at the porcelain-tiled bar. He downed his water and placed the glass on the bar top. She poured a small amount of steaming tea from the nearby teapot into his glass, fogging the translucent walls of the cup. She put the teapot back down on the nearby coaster and took a small sip from her cup. Leon reciprocated and then coughed softly.

"That's warm," he choked.

"Yes, it's _hot_ tea," she agreed condescendingly.

Leon looked at her crossly.

"Why the change of heart?" he asked bluntly.

"Why did you ask Bulma about me?" she asked, averting an answer to his question.

Leon hesitated.

"You want to talk, fine," he explained, "but on this planet, when someone asks a question, it's polite to answer it before asking another one."

Avien rolled her eyes.

"Fine," she submitted. "Curiosity."

Leon thought for a moment about how he should answer her question, then the answer came to him.

"Curiosity," he replied.

"That's what I said," Avien said quickly. "Now answer my question."

"I did," he shot back. "I was curious."

"Why?" she continued.

"Hold on," he interjected. "It's my turn again."

"But I asked another question first," she protested.

"Hey," he answered, "if you don't want to play fair, I'll just take my cup and go."

He started to get up from the bar.

"No!" she almost shouted. "I mean, _no_. What's your question?"

Leon resettled on his bar stool.

"What's your favorite color?" he asked with a smile.

"What the hell does that have to do with anything?" she asked defensively.

Without a word, Leon looked at her, and then at the entry to kitchen, and then back at her.

She sighed.

"Yellow."

"Your real favorite color," Leon insisted. "It's considered rude to lie. Trust me, sweetheart, I'm no stranger to sarcasm."

Avien looked at him hard.

"My name is not sweetheart," she replied sternly. "And my favorite color is red."

"Interesting," he said aloud.

"Why?" she repeated.

"Why, what?" he asked for clarification.

"Why were you curious about me?" she asked honestly.

Leon thought for a moment, sipping his _hot_ tea, her description still fresh in his mind.

"I guess because you are an interesting woman," he answered, finally deciding on the wording.

"How so–?" Avien started to ask but was cut off by Leon's deep green eyes.

Her own brown eyes held his gaze for a few seconds, then she looked at her cup as she sipped her tea.

"Why is red your favorite color?" Leon asked after she had finished her sip of tea.

"I don't know," Avien replied nonchalantly, sighing as she tilted her head.

"Just so you know," Leon said softly. "The more thought you put into your answers, the more you'll get in return."

"What is that supposed to mean?" she asked flatly.

"It means that when you give an answer, if you tell a story, then you'll get one in return when you ask a question," he explained. "My turn again."

"No, it isn't," she protested.

"Yes, it is," he insisted. "My question was 'why is red your favorite color?' Then I made a statement, and you asked me 'what is that supposed to mean?' It's my turn again."

"You cheated," she said smiling.

"Sometimes," he replied, almost flirting.

"Fine then," she said pouring more tea. "What's your next question?"

Leon hesitated for a moment and then asked, "Why did you really ask me to drink tea with you?"

Avien paused, sipping her tea.

"I wanted to know why you were talking to Trunks' mother about me," she explained. "I wanted to know why you were interested in me, and what you had asked her. She seems to be the match-making kind of old hen, so I was curious to see who she would send courting."

Leon smiled.

"How old are you?" he asked jokingly. "Because I haven't heard anyone refer to someone as an 'old hen' and use words like 'courting' since I was seven."

"Nope," she insisted, "you've already asked your question. It's my turn."

"Okay," he replied.

She looked at him for a moment and then took another sip.

"What's your story, Leon?" she asked after finishing. "What's your real story? How did you get to where we are today?"

"That's a lot of questions," he noted. "Which one do you want me to answer?"

"All of them?" she replied. "And remember, Leon, _the more thought you put into your answers, the more you'll get in return."_

He smiled. She was sharp; he gave her that… A bitch, but a sharp bitch.

"Where to begin?" he asked rhetorically.

"No freebies," she reminded him with a quick smile.

He returned her smile and then began his answer.

Leon told Avien about his life, beginning with his childhood. When he was old enough to walk around he had always been interested in martial arts. His parents had allowed him to train even at such a young age. Realizing that his quick grasp of the arts could help him find employment one day teaching or working security, his parents had financed all of his training hoping it would pay dividends later. His parents were not wealthy, but despite his modest upbringing, he attended school and managed a quick grasp of academics, balancing his martial arts training well. He had a younger sister named Ryllie. He explained that early in her life, her role was nothing short of making sure he was harassed every minute of the day. However, as she grew, she became the innocent little sister that every bigger brother loves and protects. By the time he was seven, he had already completed his training under his first martial arts instructor. Eager for more knowledge, a family friend had recommended him to a world-renowned martial arts master known only as Oroku who lived in the mountainous region north of West City.

Leon explained that at that point, he traveled to Oroku's dojo to train all summer before returning to his home and continue his school education. His parents insisted that he balance his training with his education. By this point, the Androids had been unleashed on the world for several years, but he was too young to remember when they first appeared. It just so happened that the summer he was away, was the same summer that the Androids attacked West City. His parents were lost in the attack, but his sister had gone to their grandparents' house just south of the city. His grandparents felt he would be safer remaining at Oroku's dojo rather than attempting to travel through West City, so, reluctantly, young Leon had remained at Oroku's dojo throughout the remainder of his childhood. While there, he trained fiercely with the loss of his parents always in his mind. Oroku immediately recognized Leon's skill and frustrations and began teaching him energy-based techniques. Leon quickly caught on to the techniques and soon thereafter learned how to push his physical attacks to the limit using energy training.

When he was sixteen, he said farewell to Oroku, reaching what he believed was the pinnacle of his training. Leon returned to his grandparents and sister for a short time. Unfortunately, within a few months of his return, his sister fell victim to the Androids' carnage on her way to school one day. Blaming himself, Leon returned to Oroku's guidance and training, determined to find a way to become strong enough to destroy the Androids himself. By the time Leon had reached the point to feel confident that he could destroy the Androids, he arrived too late, as Trunks had already addressed the problem, saving his grandfather in the process. A few years later, he ran into Trunks again and then helped him fight Majin Buu.

"My God," Avien said softly when he had finished his story. "Leon, I'm sorry. I'm sorry about your family, especially Ryllie."

She could tell that his sister was a particularly sore spot in his memory.

He sat quietly for a moment swishing the tea around in his glass.

"It's alright," he replied finally. "You know, it's just one of those things. You learn to accept that you can't change it. Sorry to drag you down with such a bad story."

"No, it's okay," she assured him. "Thank you."

"For what?" he asked confused.

"For answering my question," she replied smiling. "Your turn, then. What do you want to know?"

He smiled back at her, admiring her soft features and bright smile.

"How bout you, then?" he asked. "What's your story?"

Avien hesitated for a moment and then recounted the story of her childhood that was still fresh in her mind. She explained the story with a solemn tone, trying her best to avoid sounding emotional, but the pain of her recent loss was all too fresh in her heart and mind. Her explanation of her mother's death during her own birth, as well as her father's untimely demise with the rest of her civilization left tears at the edges of Avien's eyes.

"I'm very sorry," Leon apologized when Avien had finished her story. "I had no idea that it had only been a few days…"

Avien sniffed, wiped away the tears at the edges of her eyes, and gulped the last of her tea before refilling her cup.

"I'm fine," Avien replied, sniffing away her tears and pain. "Besides, it was no worse than your story."

"Well, at least Trunks showed up when he did," Leon said softly. "There's no telling what the maniac on the planet you were stranded on would have done to you."

Avien's demeanor changed noticeably as her thoughts rushed back to her moment with Trunks in the prison cell hallway. She remembered explicitly the softness of his lips in contrast to his steel physique. Then, as if a wave crashing down on her, she remembered the feeling of his rejection. As all this passed through her mind, she failed to realize the defensive physical posture she began to emanate outside the confines of her memories.

"Are you okay?" Leon asked, snapping her back into reality.

Avien looked back into Leon's green eyes, then broke eye contact to sip her tea.

"I said I'm fine," she finally replied with a slight edge.

"Okay," Leon said defensively. "I'm sorry."

"Please stop apologizing," Avien replied, again with a defensive connotation.

Leon was unsure of which nerve he had struck.

"Sor–," he answered with mild irritation as he caught himself and rolled his eyes. "Okay."

They remained silent for a moment as they both sipped tea.

"How long have you known him?" she asked, breaking the silence.

Leon hesitated for a moment, his suspicions heightening.

"A little less than a year," he answered as he put down his glass.

"What was he like before she died?" Avien asked softly.

Leon thought about the question for a moment. Then he calculated the implication for much less than a moment.

"Less tense," he chose as his answer, fearing for where the conversation was going.

Avien sipped her tea as she took in his answer.

"Why do you ask?" Leon asked, dreading the answer.

Avien put down her glass and made the mistake of looking into Leon's eyes again. He stared calmly back into her own brown eyes.

"I was just wondering," she lied as she looked back down at her cup of tea. "He seemed much more ruthless when I met him than he seems now."

Leon studied her posture for a moment, allowing his suspicions to subside.

"Love makes people do crazy shit sometimes," he said finally.

"You can say that again," she agreed, inviting him to clink his glass to hers.

As he toasted, Leon studied her body language again. He chose his next question carefully.

"Did you have someone at home?" Leon asked boldly.

Avien put her glass down slowly and starred back into his eyes. She looked away as she kicked herself for making that mistake again.

"Not really, Leon," she sighed. "I don't think that's in the stars for me."

"You're a beautiful woman, though," Leon replied, somewhat hesitantly. "I find it hard to believe there wasn't someone after you."

She smiled as she watched his face blush mildly.

"There was this one man," she admitted vaguely. "But he wasn't interested."

"That's hard to believe," Leon complimented.

She hesitated for a moment, her thoughts returning her to the Kai Planet. She remembered watching as Trunks held and kissed Shell. She remembered the painful truth that had explained all of Trunks' actions around her. Finally, she remembered the painful promise she had made before Trunks had brought them to Earth.

Leon watched her silently as memories surged through her mind. Avien had stopped looking at him or even her tea. She looked off to the left somewhere, far beyond the room. His suspicion returned in full force, as he felt he knew almost exactly what she was thinking about. He waited patiently for her thoughts to subside and her consciousness to visibly return to the room. Without looking at him, she almost narrated her thoughts.

"Turns out, he loved someone else…" she said aloud, as her voice trailed off.

She blinked back to reality and looked quickly across the table at Leon's deep green eyes again, then down at her tea.

"I'm sorry," Leon replied, his intuition understanding the implication of her words.

They sat in silence for over a minute. They no longer sipped at their tea, and Avien would no longer look Leon in the eyes. Leon was sure that another question was a mistake, but, for some inexplicable reason, he felt he couldn't help but find out the answer. Was it just curiosity or jealousy? He hesitated, but couldn't help it.

"Why did you go with him?" he asked finally, kicking himself as the words fell out of his mouth.

She instantly glared at him. Without a word, her eyes slowly began to water as she stood up, sliding her stool backwards, and left the kitchen.

Leon remained sitting alone at the bar. He looked at the empty glass in front of him and then at the teapot. He reached for the pot to refill his glass and discovered it was empty. He sighed as he put the teapot back onto the coaster. He decided he didn't want to know the answer to his question anymore. He thought it strange that he would normally have thought of some witty quip to throw down by now, but nothing came to mind. He thought back about his conversation with Avien. He had to admit that apart from being a sharp bitch, she had her tolerable moments. He admitted that as long as he could convince her to bring down the walls of distrust around her, she even had a sweeter side to her. He then considered to himself that maybe there was something to Bulma's matchmaking intuition, after all. Of course, she had failed to take into account the fact that Avien loved her son… or had she? He looked out the window in the kitchen and noticed the sun was coming up. He wasn't tired anymore, but wasn't ready for the day to start. Leon stood up from the bar stool and stretched. He rinsed his glass, Avien's cup, and the teapot in the sink and left the kitchen.


	4. Chapter 4: Old Friends and New Tricks

Chapter 4: Old Friends and New Tricks

The sun rose on another beautiful day in West City. As warm rays of light cast early morning shadows across the city, the populace began to move about with their daily routines; all the while, oblivious to any existence of ill will that might loom above them in the stars. As the bustling city blossomed to life with sounds of urban, morning traffic, so too did Trunks and his friends at the Capsule Corp mansion.

"Breakfast is ready!" Bulma's voice echoed through the hallways of the mansion.

One thing that had never changed was the quick response the smell of good, wholesome breakfast and the associated invitation could get from guests in her home. Within minutes, Trunks, Gohan, Leon and Dende were in the kitchen taking in the delicious smells of the morning meal. Not much later, the Supreme Kai, Garice and Baleck were also in the kitchen offering their assistance to help the others dish out breakfast. Bulma directed her small army to the adjacent dining room with various platters of freshly cooked foods.

"Where's Avien?" Bulma asked everyone.

The bustling bodies stopped moving around the room and looked for their missing friend.

"She's still in the mansion," Gohan replied, searching for her life force energy. "In her room still, maybe?"

"I'll go get her," Bulma announced. "And you boys don't even think about starting without us!" she snapped as she left the room and headed down the hallway towards Avien's room.

Everyone finished setting out plates and began finding seats around the large dining table that centered the dining room and waited for Bulma to return with Avien.

"Hey Trunks, after breakfast, I need to run some errands," Gohan told him. "It shouldn't take too long, but I need to take care of a few things."

"Okay," Trunks replied, slightly confused. "Do you need any help?"

"Not really," Gohan replied easily. "You're welcome to come with me, but I just wanted to go by my parents' old house and see what's still there."

"Oh," Trunks said solemnly, "No, if you need time alone there, I understand."

"No it's okay," he insisted. "I'm just wondering if some of my old things are still there."

"Okay," Trunks replied quietly, relieved he hadn't upset his now-orphaned brother.

"Could I go?" Dende asked earnestly. "I would love to see what this planet's countryside looks like."

"Of course," Gohan replied with his father's same smile. "I'd love to show you around, Dende. In fact, I have just the place that I think you'd like to see."

"How much longer do you think we have?" Leon interrupted.

Their attention turned to Leon.

"Before the Saiyans get here, I mean," he clarified.

Trunks reflected on Leon's question and searched for the unmistakable hatred that coursed through the powerful aura he felt coming closer to his home.

"It's hard to say," the Supreme Kai answered, breaking the silence. "But we shouldn't worry over it right now. We can't do anything about it yet."

"The Supreme Kai is right, Leon," Gohan agreed. "Besides, as strong as we are I really doubt we will have any problems with them. They may be so overwhelmed when they find out what they're up against, that they'll just turn around and leave."

Leon took in what Gohan had said and looked to Trunks for affirmation.

"Maybe…" Trunks said softly but knew that would not be the case. His luck was never so fortunate.

"Avien!" Bulma called down the hallway as she passed by Leon's room. "Breakfast is ready, dear!"

She continued to walk towards Avien's room, despite getting no response. Bulma knocked modestly on the door to Avien's room.

"Avien, sweetie," she said only loud enough to get through the door. "Are you hungry?"

Bulma made no effort to try to hear what was going on inside the room, but she felt the distinct thump of someone moving around and the successive thumps as the movement came towards the door.

"Mrs. Brief?" Avien's muffled voice asked through the door.

"It's me, dear," Bulma answered.

The door lock clicked and the door slowly opened. A look of concern flooded over Bulma's face as Avien peered around the door. She looked distraught as if she had been crying.

"Avien, are you okay?" Bulma asked sympathetically.

"I'm fine," she lied, brushing away the tear lines on her face and gathering her composure to feign sickness. "I'm fine, Mrs. Brief. I just didn't sleep well and woke up feeling ill. That's all."

"Oh, sweetie, I can bring you some breakfast and warm tea," Bulma promised. "That should make you feel better. And if it doesn't, I'll call our doctor and arrange an appointment."

Avien wanted to curse Bulma's commitment to hospitality.

"No, no, that's ok," she continued to lie. "I just need to try to sleep a little more, and I will be fine."

"Okay," Bulma agreed softly. "Are you sure you wouldn't like some hot tea though before going back to sleep? It might help you sleep better."

Avien choked back a laugh of sarcasm at the irony.

"No, thank you, ma'am," she answered as she started to close the door. "I'll be fine. Thank you again."

After the door had closed, Bulma stood there for a moment. She contemplated whether she should knock again, but then left Avien to herself and returned to the dining room.

Bulma walked back to the dining room quietly and found a spot at the table to sit down.

"Where's Avien?" Dende asked Bulma.

"She said that she felt sick this morning and just wanted to rest," Bulma answered noncommittally. "Let's eat."

Without hesitation they began passing around platters for everyone to help themselves to the delicious breakfast that Bulma had prepared for them.

"Did she say why she was feeling sick?" Trunks asked as he helped pass plates around.

"She didn't," Bulma elaborated. "But she didn't look like she felt well."

Trunks shrugged his concern away and began eating.

As everyone ate, they took particular notice to Trunks and Gohan. The two Saiyans ate like there was no tomorrow, which for all intent and purpose, there very well might not be. It was a very good breakfast and in between mouthfuls of delicious goodness, they exchanged casual conversation. Mostly they explained idiosyncrasies concerning humans on Earth to Baleck, Garice and Dende. But Leon remained silent and only occasionally ate from his plate. His inaction did not go unnoticed.

"You know I forgot to make us tea," Bulma said suddenly. "I'm going to make some, would anyone else care for some?" she asked climbing from her chair.

"Uh, sure, mom," Trunks answered, followed by others' affirmations.

"Leon would you help me get more glasses for everyone, please, dear?" Bulma asked as she started towards the kitchen.

Her question snagged him out of his own thoughts about Avien and the start they had gotten off to earlier that morning and back into reality.

"Oh, yeah, sure," he answered, almost tripping as he got to his feet.

He followed her to the kitchen. However, no sooner had he stepped out of line of sight from his friends and into the kitchen, was he slammed with a barrage of questions.

"Leon Datch, what in the world happened?" Bulma exclaimed in a whisper as she grabbed the teapot from the sink and began to wash it out with soap.

"Wh-what are you talking about?" Leon asked defensively.

"You know good and well what I'm talking about, young man," she snapped in her motherly tone. "That poor girl has been in her room crying. What in the world did you say to her?"

"Me?" he choked, fighting back a laugh.

"Shhh!" she shushed. "Get the glasses from the cupboard and stop making so much noise.

He shook his head in confusion, but obeyed.

"What did you two talk about that caused her to lock herself in her room and cry all night?" she interrogated.

"What did _I_ do?" Leon replied with a snicker.

"Is it funny that she's been crying all night?" Bulma snapped quietly.

"All morning," he corrected. "She's only been like that for about an hour."

"Irrelevant," Bulma cut him off. "What did you two talk about?"

Leon sighed in surrender.

"Look," he explained, "we just talked about us, you know – our history, if you will. And then she got mad and went to her room."

"Uh, huh," Bulma snorted. "And what sort of history did you talk about that would get her to the point of locking herself in a room and crying all morning?"

Leon hesitated for a moment, trying to gauge whether or not he should really give Bulma what she was asking for. His pride was in favor of it, but his judgment said no.

"I asked her about her parents," he lied. "Turns out her mom died in childbirth and her father died just before Trunks and her returned to her planet. She doesn't know how he died. I didn't know, and I pushed the question too soon, I guess."

Bulma sighed as she finished prepping the teapot for another brew.

"I'll talk to her today," Bulma assured him.

"You know, I don't–," Leon tried to protest but was cut off.

"No!" she said flatly. "I'll iron this out, you just steer clear until this evening."

Leon stood with a blank look.

_"I want to go cry in my room and get away with it,"_ he thought to himself sarcastically. _"These women make my head hurt."_

"Leon," Bulma said, once again interrupting his thoughts, "take the glasses back to the dining room and I'll be there shortly with the tea."

"Yes, ma'am," he muttered with obedience, mentally defending the ridicule from his ego and cursing his judgment.

Without another word, he silently left the kitchen.

Following breakfast, Gohan and Dende departed for Gohan's childhood home out in the countryside. Trunks and the Supreme Kai saw them off from the open back yard of the Capsule Corp Mansion. Once airborne, Gohan and Dende flew off westward from the mansion and West City.

"How far away is your parents' house?" Dende asked Gohan as they flew.

"It's on the other side of the continent," Gohan answered. "But first I wanted to check on some old friends of mine. I haven't seen them in years."

Gohan led Dende on a flight path west over the sea from West City.

"How long do you think it will take us?" Dende asked.

"How fast can you fly?" Gohan replied with a smile.

"I'll keep up," Dende promised.

"Well, let's get some exercise then," Gohan coaxed, his smile never fading.

As they began to accelerate, Gohan's aura began to turn from his effortless white color to a dim red that became a deeper shade of red as he flew faster, leaving a long red tail of energy behind them. Mirroring his speed, Dende's aura flashed to a deepening shade of purple as he, too, increased his speed to keep up with his Saiyan friend.

"Wow, Dende," Gohan shouted through the wind to his friend, "You're really fast! I'm impressed! Keep heading west; I'll race you to the end of the water!"

"You're on!" the Namekian shouted back with a grin. "I'll wait for you at the beach!"

The two raced on for the better part of an hour until they had crossed the West Sea. Dende moved ahead of Gohan and dropped from the sky to the sandy beaches on the western side of the sea. Gohan chased after his friend and landed nearby shortly after Dende.

"I know you're faster than that," Dende accused.

"Well, maybe a little faster," Gohan admitted. "But you were really moving! You're way stronger than you were when we were kids, Dende."

"Well, we're both much stronger than we were when we fought Frieza," the Namekian pointed out.

"Yeah, but your energy feels different than it did then," the young Saiyan explained. "It's hard to place, but it's almost like you've lived a few lifetimes of battles since then."

"It's my brothers' energy you feel," Dende explained, his voice and enthusiasm lowering. "When Frieza's brother began killing off the remainder of my race, my fallen brothers merged their fading life forces with me, just as Nail did with Piccolo all those years ago. It was the only way to save them. And now, I carry the total essence of my species. I'm the only one left, Gohan."

Gohan was silent for a moment; his smile faded from his face.

"I'm very sorry, my friend," he lamented. "I wish I could have been there to help you. I wish I could have been able to help so many of my friends."

"It's not your fault," the Namekian assured him.

"All the same," the Saiyan replied. "I wish things had been different. Who knows? In another life, I may have come to visit you on New Namek. Maybe then, I could have helped you put a stop to Frieza's brother. I could have sworn that my father killed him when he came to Earth seeking revenge for what Dad did to Frieza. Who would've guessed that he'd come back only to take out his anger on your people."

"There's no way that you could have known, Gohan," Dende replied solemnly.

"Still," Gohan continued, "I wish that things could have been different."

They stood in silence for a moment. Part of the silence was out of a mutual understanding for the honor of Dende and Gohan's fallen families. The other part was simply to enjoy the warm sea breeze as it blew against them on the beach. Gohan closed his eyes as his hair danced freely in the breeze. The smell of the salty water mixed with the snowy sand under his feet to provide a rather pleasant odor that one could only truly enjoy on a clean, empty beach. Gohan listened to the soft waves as they washed up onto the beach around them. Their soft, rolling crashes reminded him of how peaceful and harmonious his home planet was when it was not at war. He smiled to himself.

"There's a place not far from here I'd like to show you," Gohan told his Namekian friend. "I think you might find it to be kind of, well, homely."

Dende gave his friend a confused look.

"Homely?" he asked in bewilderment.

"Come with me," Gohan instructed softly as he floated up from the beach.

Without protest, Dende began to hover up above the sandy surface and followed Gohan high up into the northwestern sky.

Trunks stood alone on the balcony at Capsule Corp Mansion. After breakfast and a shower, he had changed back into his usual black tank top and pants with his brown belt and boots and blue Capsule Corp jacket. As he looked out over the city skyline, he pulled his long purple hair back into a ponytail and tied it off with a hair tie. It was time for another haircut. It was only midday.

_"I could get Mom to take care of it,"_ he thought to himself. _"But then again, she's taking care of Avien."_

He hoped that Avien would not be sick long. He knew that they would need everyone they could get to stop Broly's onslaught. He reflected on his memories and his journal notes of his encounter with Broly. He had only returned to the alternate timeline to let his mother and Goku know that he had beaten the Androids and Cell. He never would have guessed that he had arrived just in time to face off with the Legendary Super Saiyan himself. Memories of that brutal battle flashed through his mind. He shuttered once at the thoughts, and then put them out of his mind.

"Getting cold?" Leon asked as he walked out onto the balcony. "It's the middle of the day out here. If so, you might want to get yourself checked out; might be coming down with whatever Avien has."

Trunks smiled at his friend.

"Space flu?" Leon asked jokingly.

"Maybe," he replied sarcastically. "Is everything alright?"

Leon's expression changed.

"I'm fine, man," he assured Trunks. "Just wanted to hang out. It may have seemed like it for the past year, but there's not _always_ something wrong when I come find you. Sometimes I just want to say hi."

Trunks' first impulse was defensive, but let it slide. He knew that Leon had been on edge lately. The whole ordeal with the Saiyans had him on pins and needles. Even though Trunks had not shown it to the group, he couldn't blame Leon one bit.

"I'm sorry," he replied tactfully. "I just know that you've been worried lately."

"What are you talking about?" Leon asked.

"Well, the Saiyans invading Earth and all that; I get it," he answered. "It's really been stressing you out."

"Well, that's one of the things," Leon admitted, but paused too long.

"…What else is bothering you?" Trunks inquired casually.

Leon sighed heavily.

"I'm just glad you're home," he answered flatly.

Trunks wanted to delve into Leon's unexpressed worries, but decided it best to let him open up about his issues at his own pace. If it was one thing Trunks had learned from his father, it was never to ask too personal a question too soon.

"Who was that blonde girl you were with?" Trunks asked, changing the subject.

"What the hell are you talking about?" Leon asked genuinely confused.

"I guess she wasn't that memorable," the young Saiyan replied with a shrug. "She looked good in that bikini too."

Leon kept a blank stare.

"You don't remember the blonde girl you were with the day you asked me to go to the beach with you?" Trunks asked again. "I'd kept myself prisoner in this house for six months, and you finally got me to go outside. I went to the beach on the other side of the city, and you and Mom were there and you were with this blonde girl…"

"–Kari," Leon finished for him. "Her name was Kari."

"Right," he replied with a smile. "So what happened to her?"

Leon's face became just noticeably more blushed.

"It didn't work out," he answered sheepishly.

Trunks laughed and looked back out over the city skyline.

"Leon," he began, "we live in a post-apocalyptic world, and you can lift a bus over your head. How did it _not work out_?"

Leon's temperament lightened noticeably.

"We just weren't right for each other," he said with a cross smile.

"What does that mean?" Trunks asked directly.

"Well," he paused, searching for the right words, "we didn't have… common interests."

"So she wasn't interested in the fact that you could lift a bus over your head?" Trunks shot back, poking fun.

Leon laughed.

"No," he clarified, "she wasn't… interesting."

"Is that you being nice when you're saying she was dumb?" Trunks teased.

"I didn't say she was dumb," he defended.

"Oh, man, now you're just confirming it," the Saiyan teased again.

"You said that," Leon shot back.

"Well she was blonde," Trunks joked.

"Jeeze, man, you want to back the bus up and try again for a mercy kill?" Leon asked, amazed at his friend's sarcastic,verbal brutality.

They laughed together, for the first time in a long time. Slowly, Leon worked to gain his composure back.

"In the end, she just wasn't…" he fought again for the right words. "Challenging."

Trunks' expression immediately changed, and Leon knew his word choice had been misconstrued.

"Intellectually, I mean," Leon clarified.

Trunks smiled broadly.

"Intellectually," the Saiyan repeated, his smile not fading.

Trunks let it go for a few moments and then added, "So is she really blonde?"

"Good grief, man!" Leon shouted hysterically.

Even Trunks was now beginning to blush.

"I'm just messing with you," Trunks said finally.

They shared another refreshing laugh followed by a moment of quietness.

"I've missed you, bro," Leon said sincerely.

"I missed you, too," Trunks reciprocated. "And I shouldn't have left without you. I was wrong… and angry. Angry with myself though. Angry that I let her die."

"You know she went out there that day for you?" Leon asked. "She knew that we were going to our deaths, but she wouldn't turn back. She kept telling me that no matter what, we had to keep Buu busy until you got back. I've wished a thousand times over it was me instead of her."

Trunks remained silent.

"I thought for sure I was gonna die that day; and I wish I had if it would have meant she didn't," he continued. "I'm sorry that I didn't keep her safe for you."

Trunks' eyes watered at the edges.

"It wasn't your job to protect her," Trunks replied quietly, sniffing away a tear. "It wasn't your burden to bear. I'm glad you lived; and you should be too."

"You're a good man," Leon said as he put his hand on Trunks' shoulder.

"You wouldn't have believed so if you'd seen me out there… when I left, I mean," Trunks said quietly. "In some ways, I'm glad you weren't there. I was a different person out in space; just as cold as the void I traveled through. I'm glad you didn't see me like that."

"Avien said you were pretty brutal," Leon noted.

"Poor girl was scared to death of me," the Saiyan admitted.

"Really?" his friend asked.

"I incinerated a man surrendering in front of me," he elaborated. "And then I brought down the entire building on all of his people. You could see it in Avien's eyes. Fear, anxiety, anger, and relief all at once. She was relieved to be free, but petrified at the means by which I got her there. I slaughtered those people, Leon. I destroyed their leader in front of them as he begged for his life and then brought half their capitol burning down on them as I left."

Leon's eyes were wide as he listened to Trunks' confession.

"I took Avien, and we left," Trunks continued. "Truth is, I really didn't even want to take her with me. Figured she'd be more trouble than it was worth. But I couldn't just leave her there. I had hoped I could just leave her on her home planet after she told me where New Namek was. But when we got there, her planet was a wasteland. Everything and everyone had been destroyed. What made things worse, was I still wanted to leave her there."

"Why didn't you?" Leon asked.

Trunks sighed.

"I guess I saw myself," he said ambiguously, but then clarified. "I remembered what it was like to lose all the ones you love. I saw myself after Gohan died, and there was nothing left but the Androids and more death. Even though I wanted to, I couldn't manage to leave her there. Then Avien and Dende ended up saving my life on New Namek. Turns out, I couldn't do everything on my own. I guess I had to learn the hard way."

Leon hesitated, but was curious if he could get the answer to the question he had asked Avien early that morning.

"Why do you think she went with you?" Leon asked carefully.

"She didn't really have a choice," the Saiyan replied casually, telling half the truth. "If I'd been in her shoes, I guess it would have been an obvious choice too."

Leon reluctantly accepted his friend's answer, but reflected on the conversation he had with Avien earlier that morning. Trunks remained quiet for a moment, but then noticed that his friend was still quiet in thought. Reluctantly, Trunks decided to use the skills he had developed from his training with Supreme Kai, and he listened to Leon's thoughts for a moment. After a few moments, Leon's string of questioning made more sense. Trunks half-smiled to himself: Leon was interested in Avien.

"Hey, Leon," he said interrupting his friend's thoughts. "Wanna go grab lunch in the city? I know this place that's got some pretty nice selections."

Leon's attention came slowly back to Trunks' offer.

"Uh, yeah, man," he agreed. "Sounds good. Lead the way."

They floated up off the balcony, and Trunks led Leon northward out over the city.

Dende trailed just behind and off to the side of his young, Saiyan friend, Gohan. They had only been flying for perhaps fifteen or so minutes when he began to notice a small, vertical line in the sky ahead of them.

_"Am I seeing things?"_ Dende asked himself as he squinted to better focus.

He blinked a few times to be sure, but the faint line ahead of him slowly began to grow more detail as he neared it. As they flew nearer, he could make out more details, and noted that it wasn't a line at all, but rather, an elaborately designed monolith that rose from the forest floor below them straight up into the sky above them.

"Gohan, what is that?" he shouted through the wind to his friend.

"It's Korin's tower," Gohan yelled back. "At the top of the tower is a platform we call 'The Lookout.' It used to be Kami's Lookout back when Piccolo was alive."

"Who is Kami?" Dende asked innocently.

"Kami was the Earth Guardian," Gohan explained. "But in order to become Earth's Guardian, Kami had to separate all of the evil in his soul from his physical self. The evil spawn was called King Piccolo. My father defeated King Piccolo while still a child; I hadn't even been thought of yet. But, before King Piccolo died, he produced an egg that would eventually bring about Piccolo as you and I knew him. But because of Kami and Piccolo's spiritual connection, when Piccolo was killed, Kami disappeared as well… along with the Dragon Balls."

"That's terrible," Dende lamented.

Gohan remained silent, but began to ascend at the monolith in front of them and led Dende up through the clouds to the top of the tower. Eventually, the monolith widened to a large, horizontally centered ellipse, open in the middle with eccentric handrails that ran the circumference of the structure. The structure's inner platform was supported by a series of thin columns that encircled the floor surface, and there was a small staircase that lowered along the outside of the structure to an inner atrium about halfway down the structure. Gohan led Dende onto the platform through the gap in the middle of the structure, and the two landed softly inside the open and empty chamber.

"Korin?" Gohan called out. "Korin, where are you, sir? It's me, Gohan!"

There was no reply. As they looked around, they could see that the entire platform had been vacated. Gohan, unwilling to give up, began to sense for Korin's life force to try to locate his long-absent friend. It was no use.

"I can't sense him at all up here," Gohan said finally. "Let's check the Lookout."

With that, he and Dende flew from the platform and continued to ascend past Korin's Tower to the long-forgotten Lookout. Dende noted as they continued to ascend that the Lookout itself was not connected to Korin's Tower; but, somehow, floated over the tower without the aid of supports. Once they had flown to the top of the world, they landed on the wide, circular floor of Kami's Lookout. Dende marveled at the large, domed temple at the far end of the grounds. The temple appeared to house three wings with a large dome over the center atrium and smaller domes over the two other wings. Four thin spires stood around the temple creating a large, rectangular perimeter from the center atrium. The Namekian was impressed. As he looked around the giant circular platform, he noted the series of trees at the outer most edge in four equal intervals around the circumference of the platform. There were two more gardens with what appeared to be palm trees parallel to the front entrance of the temple, seemingly creating a short path toward the front of the temple. Additionally, there were two other gardens of trees to each side of the long, pinkish canopy that spread out perpendicularly from the front entrance of the temple.

"This is Kami's Lookout?" he asked in amazement.

"Yep," Gohan answered. "Pretty cool, huh? Let's see if Mr. Popo is around."

"Who?" Dende asked, confused.

"Oh, Mr. Popo?" the Saiyan explained, "He was sort of like Kami's advisor. Mr. Popo's been around for a long time and had advised many Earth Guardians. He's pretty sharp, despite what you might think at first glance. Let's see if he's inside."

Gohan led Dende toward the central atrium of the temple.

"Mr. Popo!" Gohan shouted towards the open doorway to the temple. "Korin! Is anybody home?"

Dende followed his friend cautiously; curious, but also vigilant about everything around him.

"Do you think they're still living up here?" Dende asked quietly. "I don't know how they could sustain themselves up here without food and supplies. Perhaps they moved on."

"I doubt it," Gohan insisted. "Besides, Korin is a great gardener. You should try his beans…"

"If you say so," Dende replied with a shrug.

They entered the temple and stood in the central atrium, looking around for signs of life. Gohan and Dende remained quiet as they searched the area with their auras for any traces of life force. It was extremely difficult, they found, since their were all manner of mystical rooms and areas that hindered their focus.

"Mr. Popo!" Gohan shouted again, breaking the silence. "Damn, where are these guys?"

Suddenly, they could both feel the presence of others. But they seemingly came from nowhere and were immediately in the room!

"Gohan?" a soft voice all but whispered. "Gohan, is that you?"

They turned to see a short, pitch-black skinned man with pink lips and large eyes. The man wore loose, white pants with red upturned-ended shoes, dark red sash and vest, and had a white turban with a large sapphire in the center piece above his forehead. Dende also noted that he wore small, hooped, gold earrings and large, gold bracelets, just above the elbows.

"Mr. Popo!" Gohan exclaimed. "I'm so glad you're still alive!"

"Me too!" Popo agreed. "But I am confused as to how _you_ are still alive, my friend."

"Where'd you find the Dragon Balls?" a raspier, older voice asked.

Dende quickly matched the voice to a small white-gray cat that stood on two legs and carried a grey, wooden staff.

"New Namek, I'd say," the diminutive feline grunted.

"Korin, it's great to see you again!" Gohan shouted as he knelt to hug both of his old friends.

"Good to see you again, too, Kid," Korin replied. "But I must ask, who is the Namek you've brought with you?"

"I'm Dende, Sirs," the young Namekian said respectfully. "It is a great honor to meet you both. Gohan has told me about you."

"Has he now?" Korin asked inquisitively.

Dende noticed that the small, bipedal feline squinted most of the time he spoke.

"How did you get back to life?" Popo asked.

"Obviously, with the Dragon Balls," Korin snorted without waiting for Gohan to answer. "Here the boy stands with a Namek. Clearly someone went to New Namek. Trunks? Come, my boy, let's have tea, and you can tell us all about it."

"Actually," Gohan interrupted, "I have a few things that I need to ask you, and then a few other things I need to take care of… urgently. And besides, Dende here could tell the story better than I could, and I would like you two to get to know him. I think he will be staying with us for a while, and maybe he could hang out here more often…?"

Korin and Popo looked at each other, then back at Gohan and Dende.

"Is this about the dark power in the skies?" Popo asked.

"Partly," Gohan explained. "But, I need to know if my father left anything here at the Lookout before he died."

Korin looked at Popo to answer.

Mr. Popo thought to himself for a moment, but drew no memories of Goku's property remaining at the Lookout.

"No, I'm sorry, Gohan," Popo answered. "As far as I know, all of his belongings were either at your house or at Master Roshi's house."

"Gotcha," the Saiyan replied. "Well, I'm going to go look at my house for a few things. Would you two mind telling Dende about the Lookout and the Earth for a bit?"

Dende's expression changed as he looked at Gohan with confusion.

"I think he would make a great Guardian," Gohan insisted.

"What?!" all three resounded.

"Gohan, what are you talking about?" Dende asked. "I don't know the first thing–."

"Trust me," Gohan interrupted him. "You'd be great at it. I know it. Wouldn't you agree Mr. Popo?"

"Is the boy willing to take on such responsibility?" Popo asked with his usual softness.

Dende looked silently at Gohan, then at the ground.

"I don't even know what kind of responsibility being a Guardian entails," he replied evenly.

"Relax," Gohan insisted. "Just enjoy some tea with Mr. Popo and Korin, and I'll be back in just a little while. Then we can all sort it out together. While you wait, take a tour of the Lookout. It's really an impressive place."

"Where are you going?" the Namekian asked.

"My parents' house," Gohan answered. "And maybe by Roshi's house. I need to find something, and then I'll be back. It won't take long, I promise."

"But you said your parents' house was on the other side of the continent, Gohan," he argued. "That could take until tomorrow for you travel there and back."

"I promise you I'll be back in an hour," Gohan said confidently.

"How?" Korin interjected. "That's a long way, even for you, Kid."

"Trust me," Gohan insisted. "I'll be back soon."

Without another word, Gohan raised his first two fingers of his right hand to the center of his forehead and focused his senses on Master Roshi's house, or, more accurately, Roshi's life force. As he located it, he centered his focus and projected forward.

As the others watched in confusion, Gohan disappeared from their view. Dende immediately focused his aura, sensing for Gohan's energy. His Saiyan friend was nowhere to be found. He had completely vanished. Dende continued to search for Gohan's life force, and, then, somewhere distant, he felt it again.

"Whoa," Dende whispered to himself. "How did he…?"

"He's definitely his father's son," Korin said, cutting the Namekian off. "Always a new trick up their sleeves."


	5. Chapter 5: Opposites Attract

Chapter 5: Opposites Attract

Trunks reclined in his chair after he finished his lunch. It was a beautiful day in West City. They had decided to eat at a local café that Trunks had suggested and chose to eat outside on the patio. Leon was still working his way through his meal. Trunks reflected on their conversation that morning, as well as Leon's unspoken thoughts about Avien. He thought it almost laughable that Leon was interested in her; not in a bad way, just _interesting._

_"She's just so obnoxious,"_ he thought to himself. _"But, then again, maybe that's what Leon's into. Someone… challenging."_

He contemplated it before he decided whether to even bring it up.

"What do you think of Gohan, Dende, Avien, and the others?" Trunks asked vaguely.

Leon finished swallowing down his food.

"What do you mean?" he replied.

"Well, how do you feel about all of this?" Trunks clarified. "Do you think all the people that we have will be enough to fight off Saiyans?"

"Depends on how many Saiyans there are, I guess," Leon answered as best he could, wondering what his friend was getting at. "Do _you_ think we will be enough?"

Trunks hesitated for a moment as he reflected on his nightmares from previous nights. His memory of Broly's power, both in dream and in reality, made him shutter visibly.

"I don't know," he answered softly. "But what do you think of Gohan, Dende, and Avien?"

"I'm glad we have backup," Leon replied quickly, taking another bite from his lunch.

"It is good that Gohan is back," the Saiyan said, trying a different approach. "I've had difficulty gauging his strength, but he may even be stronger than me."

Leon swallowed hard.

"Is that even possible?" he asked, almost choking.

He gulped down some water to fight back his impulse to choke.

"Easily," Trunks reflected calmly. "He is the one that taught me how to fight, after all. And there's no telling how much stronger he's become training with Goku and my father in Otherworld. I would be surprised if Gohan didn't have a few new tricks up his sleeve."

Leon recovered his composure.

"How strong are Dende and Avien?" Leon asked, sipping his water.

"Dende is incredibly strong," the Saiyan admitted. "I think he's even stronger than you. Avien, she's a different story."

Leon took a small bite from his plate, so that he could still speak politely.

"What _is_ her story?" he asked.

"Honestly," Trunks began, calculating his delivery, "I think she's got a chip on her shoulder… Daddy's little girl out to prove herself. You're much stronger than her; hands down. She can hold her own in a fight against normal people, but not against what is coming this way. Not against a warrior-class Saiyan."

Leon's demeanor changed slightly, as he put down his glass of water.

"Well her father meant a lot to her," he said with a slight defensive connotation.

"Really?" the clever Saiyan asked, baiting the question. "She never really talked about him. What did she tell you about him?"

"Not much," Leon answered vaguely. "Only that he taught her to fight after her mother died."

"I had inferred as much, but didn't know for sure," Trunks continued. "With it still being so soon, and me being wrapped up in my own vendetta, it was hardly the time to ask."

Leon took another bite of his lunch and chased it with water.

"What do you think of her?" Trunks asked directly.

"She's bitchy," Leon replied openly.

Trunks laughed hard, almost losing his balance in the reclined chair.

"That's definitely one way to put it," he agreed in between his laughter.

"Well, it's true," Leon admitted. "I mean, not all the time, but she does have an edge to her. She's really defensive and doesn't trust easily. And she likes to play mind games every time you talk to her. It's… challenging, to say the least."

"Now you know why I wanted to leave her," Trunks joked. "But seriously, when did you talk to her? It must have been a long conversation. You talk about her like you know her better than I do."

Leon hesitated for a minute and took another sip of his water.

"We talked earlier this morning," he said finally. "I couldn't sleep, so I went to the kitchen, and she was there drinking tea. I decided to join her, and we talked."

"Was she as bitchy in the early morning?" the Saiyan asked, probing.

"Just defensive," Leon replied, shaking his head. "She's not always like that though. She just has trust issues."

"How is she when she isn't defensive?" his friend probed again.

Leon took another sip of his water, emptying the glass.

"Nice," he answered softly.

"That's kind of hard to believe," Trunks replied provocatively.

"You just have to get to know her," Leon defended. "Get past her walls of distrust, and she opens up. There's more to her than I first thought when I met her, anyway."

Trunks paused for a minute to let Leon think about her. Leon's eyes left the table. He stared past Trunks and out across the street. Trunks gave him a few more minutes to get Avien fixed in his mind.

"You like her," the Saiyan stated confidently, breaking the silence.

Leon's focus shifted back to Trunks.

"No," he lied. "I barely know her."

"So?" Trunks prodded. "You don't have to know someone well to be attracted to them. You like her. Admit it."

"Whatever," Leon sighed, shrugging it off.

"Oh, that's a dead giveaway," Trunks pointed out. "Besides, you've gone on about her for the past ten minutes; talking about how _nice_ and _challenging_ she is. It's no big deal, man. She's cute, even if she is bitchy. What's wrong with liking her?"

Leon looked at his friend with a blank face for a moment, determining how he should approach the subject without creating a larger topic of the matter.

"So she looks good," Leon admitted. "I think she looks good. So what?"

Trunks smiled.

"There's not a so what," he promised. "I just don't know why it was so difficult for you to admit you like her."

"That's not what I said," Leon insisted. "Damn it, Trunks. What do you want?"

"Calm down, Leon," the Saiyan said calmly. "I'm just giving you a hard time. I'm sorry."

Leon realized he was getting heated over nothing, and sighed heavily, releasing his frustration.

"I'm sorry, man," he apologized. "It's not a big deal. I don't know why I got so worked up over it."

"Because you're a good man," Trunks answered for him. "You care about her. It's not wrong for you to get worked up. The question is: what about her makes you so frustrated when your best friend tries to talk to you about her?"

Leon hesitated again for a moment. He didn't want to bring up Avien's interest in Trunks, but at the rate he was going with the conversation it would inevitably come out. There was no use at this point.

"She's not interested in me," Leon admitted painfully.

"Why the hell not?" Trunks asked immediately. "Remember the talk we had about the post-apocalyptic world and you being able to lift a bus?"

Leon smiled shallowly.

"She loves someone else," he replied, his smile fading.

Trunks remained silent, his smile fading as well. It was obvious that Leon knew about Avien's feelings towards the half-Saiyan, and his thoughts confirmed it. Trunks hesitated, but then decided to tell Leon everything.

"After she saw Shell," Trunks explained, "Avien understood why I didn't return any of her advances. She told me that she understood, and that she would move on. I'm sorry that she feels that way toward you, Leon. I really am. I don't know how long it will take her to move on, either. But I know you. Don't give up. If you really care about her that much, she'll see it. Just give it time."

Leon was somewhat taken back by Trunks' explanation.

"I just wanted you to understand the full story," the Saiyan further explained. "So don't be too disheartened by how cold she can be. I agree with you. I think she has a softer side. Just give it time to come out."

"Thank you," Leon replied gratefully.

He sat silently for a moment. Reflecting on all they had talked about and about Avien. One thing still eluded him.

"How did you know?" he asked Trunks solemnly.

_"I may have slightly overheard your thoughts,"_ Trunks replied telepathically.

Leon's eyes widened.

_"I'm sorry I didn't tell you before,"_ the Saiyan continued his telepathic conversation. _"It was difficult to control at first, so I didn't really talk about it."_

"How did you learn to do it?" Leon asked.

"I learned it from my training with the Z Sword," Trunks explained. "When I first started hearing thoughts, I couldn't really interact. I only received. The more time I spend with the sword, the more these abilities seem to mature."

"That's awesome!" Leon leaned in to the table center and whispered excitedly. "What else can you do?"

"So far," the Saiyan replied, "Just basic telepathy and teleportation. The teleportation gets really difficult the longer the distance, but short distances are getting easier for me. Sometimes I don't even have to focus on it; it's like muscle memory. The telepathy is difficult to interpret. During a fight, it helps because it lends a sort of heightened awareness. Sometimes I can see what an enemy is going to do before they do it. However, lately it has been invading my dreams. It makes it really hard to sleep at night."

"What have you been dreaming about?" Leon asked quietly.

"A demon from my past," Trunks answered hesitantly. "Or rather, a demon from another past. A Saiyan called Broly. He's headed this way on the Saiyan space ship. In my dreams he keeps killing me, over and over. I can't seem to dream about anything else."

"Who's Broly?" his friend inquired.

"I'll tell you later," the young Saiyan told him. "I'll tell you more about him this evening when we have everyone together. We'll need a solid plan to beat him, and we'll need everyone's help to do it."

"Why do you keep dreaming about dying?" Leon asked again.

Trunks remained quiet for a moment as he broke eye contact with his friend and looked around the city street. He reflected on the question for a moment more, unsure of the answer.

"I don't know," he said finally. "I asked the Supreme Kai. He won't tell me. I… I think this fight may kill me, Leon. I think my dreams may be showing me my own death, and Supreme Kai just doesn't want me to think about it."

"What are you talking about?!" Leon asked loudly. "Don't talk like that, Trunks. There's no way; not with all of us working together. Not with you and Gohan here. You can't think like that. It only breaks your focus. And trust me, we _need_ to be focused for this fight."

"You're right," Trunks agreed reluctantly. "It does take away from my focus. But, I also can't shake the thoughts when every night I go to bed and see the same thing in my dreams. The same ending."

Leon shifted in his seat.

"Remember when the Supreme Kai told you that the sword would test you?" he asked directly. "It's testing you again, Trunks. It's testing your resolve. You can't let these thoughts keep detracting from our mission. Do you remember what our mission is? It's to get Shell back, Trunks. That's why we keep fighting. We have to keep the planet in one piece so we can wish her back. That's what you need to focus on. That's _all_ you need to focus on. We need you. She needs you, now more than ever. We have to win this… for her, Trunks. For Shell."

Trunks nodded silently. His eyes never wavering from Leon's. His friend was right. They had to win; no matter what.

"Thanks, Leon," he replied softly. "You're right. I needed that."

"That's what I'm here for, man," Leon said reassuringly.

"To keep me from drowning in self-pity?" Trunks asked sarcastically.

"To help you get back up when you fall," Leon answered solemnly. "So you can help me back up when I fall."

Trunks smiled widely at his friend's words.

"You're a true friend, Leon," he replied.

"You are too, bro," Leon said.

Trunks felt honored to know Leon. Despite the fact that Trunks knew Leon was uneasy about the upcoming fight, he was impressed with Leon's determination to keep him focused on the goal.

"There's some place I wanted to go before we head back to the mansion," Trunks said. "Would you like to go with me?"

"Of course," Leon replied reflexively. "I can't let you take off on your own and drown in self-pity. We need you to fight first."

They smiled together at Leon's sarcasm as they left the café.

The mansion had grown quiet after Gohan, Dende, Trunks and Leon had left. The Supreme Kai searched the house for Trunks' mother. After a brief journey, he found her working tirelessly at the mound of dishes left from breakfast, chiefly from the Saiyan men.

"Mrs. Brief," Shin said after finding her at the kitchen sink. "Do you need any help?"

"What?" Bulma asked, turning at the waist so she could see the Supreme Kai. "Oh, no thank you. It's very kind of you to ask though, but I'm just finishing up."

Shin glanced over the pile of dishes stacked on the counter that couldn't fit in the dish washing machine.

"Well, at least allow me to help put away the dishes you have finished," he insisted.

"It's no problem," she replied. "I can…"

Before she finished, Shin telepathically moved all of the dried dishes to their respective places in the cabinets. Bulma's jaw dropped in amazement as her counter cleared itself within a few moments.

"That's amazing!" Bulma cried. "Thank you so much! At some point, I wish you would teach Trunks how to do that. That would help me out tremendously."

Shin chuckled softly.

"I'll try to make a point to," he said with a smile. "I wanted to let you know that I have a few things that I need to take care of on my planet. It's only a few minor details that I've forgotten until now, and I shouldn't be too long. I will take Baleck and Garice with me, and just wanted to let you know."

"That's fine," Bulma replied. "If the others get back before you, I'll let them know."

"Thank you," Shin thanked. "If you should need any help around the house, I could leave Baleck and Garice here."

"Oh, no, that's alright," she insisted. "If I need any help, I'm sure Avien will be able to help me. Thank you though."

"You're quite welcome," Shin replied. "And thank you so much for allowing us all to stay in your home. You are most kind."

"Anytime," Bulma said welcomingly. "I'll see you guys when you get back."

Shin nodded and left the kitchen to find Baleck and Garice so that they could be on their way.

After the Supreme Kai had gone and the dishes were clean, Bulma wondered if Avien was feeling better than she had appeared earlier that morning. She thought back to the details that Leon had told her about his conversation with Avien. She made a mental note of the sensitivity Avien still had for her parents' deaths. She decided it was time to get Avien out of her bedroom for the day, especially since it was lunchtime and she still hadn't heard a peep from the girl. Bulma left the kitchen, passed through the dining room, and walked into the corridor that led to Avien's room. Once she arrived at Avien's bedroom door, Bulma hesitated for a moment and then knocked softly three times. No answer.

"Avien, dear," Bulma called aloud as she turned the knob to the door.

The door was still locked.

"Avien!" she called louder, listening for sounds of movement.

After a moment, she heard the sounds of footsteps moving towards the door.

"Avien, dear, it's me," Bulma said through the door.

The lock clicked and the door slowly opened.

As Avien's face slowly appeared in the narrow space between the door and the frame, Bulma could see that her face was now absent of the streaks of tears that she had on her face earlier that morning. Avien's face now showed the familiar signs of pillow creases from recently waking from sleep. The poor girl probably needed it. Bulma's face lightened from concern to a soft smile.

"Good morning, dear," she said softly. "Would you care for some lunch?"

Avien squinted heavily for a moment, gathering her bearing.

"Sure," she sighed, wiping the sleep from her eyes. "I'll be right out."

"I'll be in the dining room," Bulma told her as she closed the door slowly.

After she had closed the door, Bulma retreated down the corridor towards the kitchen – once again – to grab two quick sandwiches for them to eat for lunch. By the time she had finished the sandwiches and placed them at the table in the adjoining dining room, Avien had emerged from the corridor that led to her room and stood in the opening to the dining room. Avien was wearing some of Bulma's old clothes; a white printed t-shirt and soft, yellow shorts. Bulma thought the colors accented Avien's dark reddish-brown hair well.

"What would you like to drink, dear?" Bulma asked sweetly.

"I can get it," Avien yawned, stretching.

"I'll help," Bulma insisted.

"Tea sounds nice," Avien said quietly as she headed to the kitchen.

"Absolutely," Bulma replied as she followed.

They entered the kitchen together and, while Avien headed for the stove and teapot, Bulma retrieved a fresh tea mix from the pantry.

"Are you feeling better?" Bulma asked as she brought the young woman fresh tea mix.

"I'm okay now," Avien lied. "I think I just needed some extra rest."

"After all you've been through," Bulma replied, "you wouldn't be right if you weren't exhausted. Sometimes we just need a little more rest to recover. Besides, the tea will help too."

"The tea will definitely help," Avien agreed.

She dropped the tea bag into the teapot and placed it on the burner.

"Where is everyone?" she asked after finally noticing the absence of energy around the house.

"They all took off for errands and lunch and such," Bulma explained. "They should be back later, I expect."

Avien felt for Leon's energy. He was in the city, but far enough away that she relaxed.

The teapot whistled.

Avien and Bulma took the teapot and two glasses to the dining room and sat adjacently at the table. Bulma poured tea for them both. Having skipped breakfast to avoid the awkwardness of eating with Leon, Avien wasted no time digging into her sandwich. Bulma smiled.

"You must be starving," Bulma stated softly. "I'll make you another sandwich."

Avien shook her head indicating no, her mouth still full.

"Well, just in case, I'll go get the bread and sandwich stuff," she told Avien.

Bulma was only gone long enough for Avien to swallow down her mouthful of sandwich before she returned, placed the bread and sandwich meats on the table, and sat back down.

"I'm sorry," Avien apologized. "I'm just really hungry. It must just be my body recovering from not feeling well."

Avien watched Bulma's expression for any signs of disbelief in her story.

"You shouldn't apologize," Bulma replied solemnly. "I'm just glad you are feeling better, sweetie."

"Thank you," she said, relieved at Mrs. Brief's absence of suspicion.

They both sipped tea from their glasses. As Bulma drank, she contemplated how she should best approach Avien's earlier conversation with Leon. The more she pondered on it, the more she remembered that she had always favored the direct approach.

"So what do you think of Leon?" Bulma asked as she finished sipping her tea.

Avien almost spat her tea over her glass and onto the table.

Wh-what do you mean?!" she asked, choking back her embarrassment of almost spitting tea everywhere.

"Are you okay?" Bulma asked concerned.

"I'm fine," Avien affirmed. "Tea just went down the wrong way for a moment, that's all."

"Oh, okay, dear," Trunks' mother said in her usual motherly tone.

Avien settled herself in the chair, regaining her composure.

"What about Leon?" she asked casually.

"Do you like him?" Bulma asked, cutting to the chase. "Do you think he's handsome? Is he your type? Is he at all interesting? Has he even talked to you?"

As Avien tried to process all of Mrs. Brief's questions at once, she hesitated before answering anything. She didn't know if Leon had told Bulma about their conversation just before dawn, so she didn't want to lie carelessly.

"He's… fine," she said reluctantly, not quite finding the right words to describe Leon. "I mean, he's a nice guy. A little sarcastic, but he's okay."

Bulma remained quiet with one eyebrow raised. She nodded a few short, quick nods as if to say, "And?"

Avien took another bite of her sandwich to temporarily escape Bulma's interrogation.

"He hasn't even talked to you yet has he?" Bulma asked squarely.

Avien remained silent, chasing her food with tea to buy more time to avoid the question.

Bulma took the hint and continued with her monologue, not waiting for Avien to answer.

"That boy!" she exclaimed but then sighed, letting her apparent irritation subside. "The thing about Leon is, like you said, he's sarcastic as hell. But when you really get to know him, you'll find out that sarcasm is just his coping mechanism."

"Really?" Avien asked rhetorically as she finished her tea.

"Oh definitely," Bulma assured her. "Deep down, Leon's got a heart of gold. After Shell died, he spent months trying to pry Trunks out of his room. Now, my Trunks is as stubborn as his father – and that's no mild amount, I assure you – but Leon was dead set on helping Trunks get through his depression. It took a while, but he got Trunks to eventually see sunlight again."

Bulma paused briefly to sip her tea.

"I thought the two boys were going to come to blows when Trunks decided to take off without Leon," she continued. "After Trunks decided to travel to New Namek, I knew no one would be able to change his mind. Leon argued and fought with Trunks over it. Frankly, Trunks was a brat to Leon about it. I had to talk Leon out of sneaking aboard the spaceship before Trunks left. As much as I hated to see him go off again on his own, I knew it was what he needed. But even after Trunks had left us all behind, it was Leon who looked after the people of this city while Trunks was away. Leon never stopped trying to take care of his friends and strangers in this city alike. The thing about Leon, dear, is when you need help the most, he'll always be there; you can count on that. If Shell were here you could ask her. I've never seen Leon back down from helping someone, even if he knows it's a losing fight."

"It sounds like Trunks is lucky to have a friend like Leon," Avien said softly, sipping more of her tea.

"We all are," Bulma stated confidently.

"Well, he's a nice guy," Avien agreed half-heartedly.

"Honey," Bulma said blatantly, "I'm going to give you some advice. I'm not as young as I used to be, but I've gotten to know a lot of different types of men in this world. If I were thirty years younger, Leon would be fair game. I know a good man when I see one, and believe you me, I've known some of the best and worst men this world has to offer. I'm not going to tell you what to do, because you're a grown woman, and I'm sure you know what you want. However, any woman that would let a guy like Leon come and go is on the losing end of that deal."

Avien was left speechless. Had Trunks' mother just said _that_?

Bulma had finished her rant and began eating her sandwich nonchalantly. Avien sat quietly, unsure of what to say in response. Bulma finished her sandwich and sipped at her tea.

"You make really good tea, dear," she complimented, returning to her usual, sweet demeanor as if she was bipolar. "Did you want another sandwich?"

Avien hesitated for a moment, but was still hungry.

"Yes, please," she said finally.

Bulma passed all of the sandwich items to Avien for her to build her own sandwich. As Avien made another sandwich for herself, she contemplated whether or not she should come clean with Mrs. Brief about Leon. After her sandwich was completed, she bit her lip and decided.

"Would you like another sandwich?" Avien asked.

"Oh, no thank you, sweetie, I'm full," Bulma answered.

"Leon," Avien began, kicking herself for giving in, "did talk to me this morning."

"Really?" Bulma replied, feigning surprise. She smiled inside, pleased with her delivery choice and its results.

"Yeah," Avien continued. "I couldn't sleep and was drinking tea in the kitchen. He came in and asked if he could join me. So we talked."

"Was he at least interesting?" Bulma asked sincerely.

"Interesting enough," Avien answered vaguely. "He's actually rather clever at getting people to talk when they don't want to."

"Leon's a very approachable boy," Trunks' mom replied.

Avien smiled to herself. Everyone was a 'boy' or 'girl' to Mrs. Brief. She still regarded Trunks, Gohan and Leon as 'boys,' despite they were all in their twenties. At least they appeared to be to Avien. She thought about it, and realized that she never actually asked how old Trunks was, or anyone else for that matter.

"What did you think of him?" Bulma asked, interrupting the girl's thoughts.

Avien abandoned her train of thought to return to reality and contemplate her answer to Mrs. Brief's question.

_"What do I think about him?"_ she asked herself. _"He's a smartass, first and foremost. Or maybe he's just cocky when a woman shows him resistance."_

The more she reflected on it, the more she realized she really didn't know what she thought of him.

_"At least he looks good,"_ she continued her internal monologue. _"He just… isn't Trunks."_

She knew that wasn't the answer she wanted to give Trunks' mother.

"Are you alright, dear?" Bulma asked, bringing Avien's mind back to reality.

"Oh, yes, I'm okay," Avien answered. "I just had to think about it… Er, your question, I mean."

Bulma smiled as she understood the young woman's mind perhaps more so than Avien did herself.

"I honestly don't really know yet," Avien admitted. "I mean, we talked for maybe an hour or two. But, I don't know him well enough to really say, I guess."

"You had to think about it for a minute to decide that you don't know what you think about him?" Mrs. Brief asked with a soft laugh. "He must have left an impression."

Avien blushed slightly. She sighed inwardly, trying to suppress her embarrassment from having such a conversation with someone she had only known for a few days, let alone, Trunks' mother.

"It's not that," she protested. "I just haven't made up my mind about him."

"He likes you, you know," Bulma said suddenly, catching Avien off guard.

"What?" Avien asked, legitimately surprised.

"Leon," Mrs. Brief clarified, "he likes you."

"He doesn't know me," Avien argued.

"Does he need to?" Bulma asked. "It's not like he's madly in love with you after just meeting you."

Mrs. Brief's words stabbed deep into Avien soul.

"Why else would he bother to talk and _try to get to know you_?" Bulma asked. "He's interested in knowing you. It's not a bad thing."

Avien remained silent for a moment, trying to recover from Bulma's unintentional verbal assault. She fought hard to keep small traces of tears from reaching the corners of her eyes.

"Like I said before," Bulma said finally. "I won't tell you what to do, dear, but my advice to you as a woman who has made her fair share of mistakes with men is to give things a chance with Leon and see how it turns out."

Avien downed the rest of her tea to help stop tears from forming. She was angry and thankful at the same time. As much as Mrs. Brief's advice angered her, she knew it was sane advice. Still, she couldn't contain all her spite.

"Guess you're not a believer in love at first sight then," she said softly, disguising her anger as sarcasm.

Bulma's expression changed slightly as she sipped her tea and though about the question.

"Yes," she answered surprisingly. "When I was a teenager, I thought for sure I would meet that special someone, and they'd sweep me off my feet the moment I met them, and then we'd live happily ever after and what not. Well, when I was young, I met the man we'll call 'Mr. Perfect.' I fell for him in an instant. We dated for years, and I was convinced that he was the only one for me. It was love at first sight – for me anyway."

"It didn't work out?" Avien asked, guessing the ending.

"He wasn't in love with me, he just enjoyed the times," Bulma explained. "That's when I figured out that love at first sight was a bunch of crap. And trust me, when 'Mr. Right' came along, he didn't look anything like 'Mr. Perfect.' In fact, when we first met I thought he was going to kill me."

Avien smiled.

"Sad part is," Bulma explained, "I'm not kidding about that part…"

Avien's expression changed to confusion.

"It's a long story," Mrs. Brief clarified. "Anyway, I discovered that sometimes you don't really know a person until they let you know them. Sometimes, what things look like on the surface isn't what things really are. Trunks' father showed me that. It took me forever to understand that stubborn man. But who he was inside, was not who he showed on the outside. They say that opposites attract. It's been my experience that if you really come to know a person, they are more like you than you would have ever guessed."

Avien sat quietly for a moment, reflecting on her own parallelisms.

"So I thought you _did_ believe in love at first sight?" she asked finally, wondering about Mrs. Brief's contradictory message in her story.

"I do," Bulma stated. "But I didn't. After 'Mr. Perfect' showed me that sometimes what we think we want most in the world isn't what we really need, I stopped believing. But, years later, I watched my son and a beautiful girl fall for each other within a week. I thought at first that it would pass, but I was wrong. I have never seen two people fall in love so quickly before. They were just right for each other. That boy loves her so much he's traveled across the universe to get her back. That's when I started believing that sort of love could exist again. I guess it only happens when the two people both want it. But I suppose that's true of any relationship. It takes two. So in the end, I guess love is what people make of it. If it's real to those in it, then it's as real as it needs to be."

Tears started to swell at the edges of Avien's eyes.

"Are you alright, dear?" Mrs. Brief asked softly.

Avien nodded and sniffed quietly, then wiped tears from the corners of her eyes.

"I didn't mean to make you cry," Bulma apologized.

"It's alright," Avien lied after regaining most of her composure. "It was just a really sweet story."

Actually, it was the most painful truth Avien had ever heard in her life.


	6. Chapter 6: Echoes of the Past

Chapter 6: Echoes of the Past

Gohan floated slowly down to the sandy beaches that surround the island where Master Roshi called home. He glanced briefly around the island, noting the familiar palm trees near Roshi's house and the more unfamiliar Capsule Corp submarine that was docked at a newly constructed pier. The pale blue submarine was numbered "80," and, judging by the amount of rust, looked like it hadn't been used in some time. Gohan casually walked to the door and walked in without knocking.

"Master Roshi?" Gohan called out into the living room. "Hey, are you home?"

He looked to the couch and television area of the living room, but there was no one inside. Gohan could sense that Roshi was still in the house.

"Gohan?" a familiar, raspy voice said in astonishment.

Gohan looked towards the kitchen to see Oolong wearing an apron over his usual slacks and button down and a chef's hat. The small, bipedal pig looked like he had put on a little more weight since the last time Gohan had seen him.

"Jeezes, Gohan, I thought you were dead!" Oolong cried as he ran into the living room to greet his long absent friend. "Where the hell have you been?"

"Well," the young Saiyan answered, "I have been dead. But Trunks wished me back with the Dragon Balls."

"Where the hell'd he find Dragon Balls?" Oolong asked. "I thought the Dragon Balls vanished when Piccolo died."

"It's a long story," Gohan clarified. "Where's Roshi? And Puar?"

"Stuffing their faces, of course," Oolong said with a grunt. "Come with me to the kitchen, it's lunch time, kid."

Gohan smiled to himself and followed his friend to the kitchen.

"Look everyone!" Oolong announced as they entered the kitchen. "Gohan's still alive!"

"Gohan!" Puar, the small cat-like shape shifter, cried in his usual, high-pitched voice.

Master Roshi appeared to try to talk, but his mouth was full. In the process of trying to manage his mouthful of food and the excitement, he began to choke. Gohan watched as his father's teacher began to turn blue in the face.

"Master Roshi!" Gohan exclaimed as he instantly disappeared and reappeared next to the old man. "Are you okay?!"

Roshi shook violently and held his throat.

"Holy cow, Gohan, do something!" Oolong shouted.

"Help him!" Puar pleaded simultaneously.

Gohan knelt down and grabbed Roshi's ankle, then again placed his first two fingers against the center of his forehead and disappeared with Roshi from the kitchen. Puar and Oolong looked confusingly at the empty kitchen chair, then at each other, then back at the empty chair.

Gohan and Roshi appeared at a modest height over the ocean around the island. Gohan floated there holding Roshi upside down.

"Try to cough," Gohan instructed as he lightly shook the old man to try to dislodge any food debris from Roshi's throat. It only took a few shakes for the culprit piece of food to fly from Roshi's mouth towards the ocean below and a scream of terror to race it downward.

"Gohan, you put me down right now!" Roshi screamed as soon as he caught his next breath. "I'm too old for this crap!"

Gohan smiled, relieved that Roshi was no longer choking. He quickly disappeared with Roshi and reappeared back in the kitchen, placing Roshi back in his chair.

"Better?" the half-Saiyan asked modestly.

Roshi sat for a moment catching his breath.

"Good grief," he said finally. "I'm relieved to see you alive again, boy, but even more relieved I'm not dead."

Puar and Oolong laughed loudly at the old man.

"Uh, I'm sorry, Master Roshi," Gohan apologized. "I was only trying to help."

The two shape shifters' laugher eventually subsided, and Oolong brought Gohan a chair to the table to join them for lunch. Gohan briefly explained all that had happened since Trunks had left for New Namek, as well as what was on the way.

"So Saiyans are invading again, eh?" Roshi asked rhetorically.

"I'm afraid so," the young Saiyan replied. "And the whole ordeal has Trunks on edge. He hasn't said so, but Trunks is worried over something."

"I don't blame him," Roshi said softly. "The last time Saiyans invaded, it cost us many lives… Many friends."

Puar was noticeably shaken by Roshi's verbal recollection.

"I remember," Gohan noted.

"Will you need help?" the old man asked.

"I appreciate it, Master Roshi," the Saiyan answered. "But we have several fighters with us. I can't ask you to come to this fight. Just stay safe here."

They finished their lunches with small talk of old times. The lighter subjects lifted the mood of the room. After lunch, they congregated in the living room and sat on the sofa and chairs.

"We certainly appreciate you coming by to see us," Roshi said appreciatively as the conversations began to wind down. "And also thanks for letting us know what was going on. I've had a bad feeling about the evil power I've felt for days now, but had no idea of exactly what was going on."

"Not a problem," Gohan replied. "Although, I did have a question for you."

"Sure, sure," the old man acknowledged. "What is it?"

"I'm trying to find some of my father's old things," the Saiyan explained. "Namely, I'm looking for his Power Pole. Do you know if he kept it here? I never thought to ask Mom where he kept it before I died. I asked Dad in Otherworld, but he wasn't sure where it was these days. He said he had kept it here and at Kami's Lookout at different points in time, but wasn't sure if it had been moved. Have you seen it at all or have any idea where I could look for it?"

Roshi thought about Gohan's question for a moment as he stroked the white hair on his chin.

"It may have been here at one point or another," the old man answered slowly. "However, I don't recall it being here at the time Goku passed. I would have to say that I think it would be at your father's house, but I don't know for sure. Have you checked Korin's Tower?"

Gohan nodded.

"Checked there first," he answered. "And the Lookout."

"And it wasn't there, then?" Roshi replied. "Too bad. I would check your old house then, Gohan. It must be there if nowhere else."

Gohan sighed inwardly.

"Ok then, I'd best be off," he said standing up.

"Sure was good to see you again, kid," Oolong said as he and the others stood with Gohan.

"We've missed you!" Puar added.

"It is good to have you back, my boy," Roshi agreed. "I wish that things had not played out as they did, but it is good to at least see you again. You look just like your father, you know."

Gohan smiled with a slight blush.

"I wish I was more like him," he said softly. "Then we'd never have to worry again."

"You've become the man you were meant to be," Roshi replied. "And don't pretend you aren't your father's son. I can tell how strong you've become even if you do keep your power hidden. I've been teaching brats like your father how to do that for a long time, and I assure you I'm pretty good at it."

Gohan laughed happily.

"Maybe you're on to something, Master Roshi," Gohan said as he walked towards the door to Roshi's house.

"Between you and Trunks," the old man continued, "I don't think there is anything the two of you can't accomplish."

"Trunks is the brother I never had," Gohan replied, stopping at the door. "I don't know how he managed to accomplish all that he has in the past few years, but I'm more proud of him than anyone."

"He has done great things," Roshi agreed. "He has done just as you taught him to do. Together, I think you will make this world the place it once was."

"I hope you're right," the Saiyan said as he opened the door to leave. "You guys take care, and I'll see you again after this is all over."

"Bye, Gohan!" they called out in unison as their friend left Roshi's house.

They followed Gohan outside and watched as the Saiyan floated up off the island and took off into the northern sky toward his old home. Gohan flew upwards, gaining altitude and trying to use the instant transmission technique he had learned from his father to speed up the trip to his parents' house. It was difficult since there was no life force to focus on. Resolved simply to fly there, Gohan began to accelerate rapidly. As his aura changed from white to deep red, Gohan continued to accelerate as his power rose. Wanting to waste no more time than necessary, Gohan continued to push his power until his eyes became the familiar green color and his hair and aura changed to a bright yellow. As Gohan changed to his Super Saiyan form, there was a sharp "crack" sound behind him as he broke the sound barrier.

Just north of West City in the desert cliffs, Trunks and Leon walked through the sandy valley between plateaus where Babidi's space ship had been. Debris from the shattered hull still lay strewn about the desert floor.

"This is where our journey started," Trunks said, breaking the silence between them.

"You remember the looks on their faces when you tore this place apart?" Leon asked lightheartedly.

Trunks smirked to himself.

"It was kind of a wake up call, wasn't it?" he agreed.

"Was this where you fought Buu, too?" his friend asked.

Trunks hesitated to answer.

"No," he said finally. "It was near the same place where you and Shell fought him."

The spot was etched into Trunks mind like a horror movie in a four year old's memory. Trunks walked around some of the debris towards his friend.

"Whoa!" Leon exclaimed suddenly. "What – er, who the hell is that?"

Trunks used his senses for a moment to identify what Leon was sensing. After a brief second, he knew all to well who's power level he felt.

"That's Gohan," the Saiyan stated calmly. "His energy doesn't feel like he's fighting anyone… Maybe he's just exercising."

Leon stood transfixed on Gohan's power level.

"Son of a bitch, he's strong!" Leon exclaimed.

Trunks smiled.

"Yes, he is," he agreed.

Trunks knew that Gohan wasn't even close to giving it all he had. Figuratively speaking, Gohan was just stretching his legs.

"Ready?" Trunks asked extending his hand.

Leon snapped out of his trance on Gohan's power and looked at his friend. Trunks stood with his hand outstretched as if to shake Leon's hand.

"For what?" he asked as he reached for Trunks' handshake.

As soon as Leon grasped Trunks' hand, the two of them vanished from the desert floor.

Gohan stood silently outside his childhood home. As he stood there, all the good memories he had of his father and mother, friends and adventures flowed through his mind. He remembered little things, like fishing with his father and compromising with his mother over his homework. He also remembered his adventures with his father and his friend, Piccolo. Gohan thought about the adventures he and Krillin had on Planet Namek. He remembered his father's fight with the evil tyrant, Frieza. Then, there was only death; first his father, then his friends, then himself. Tears swelled at the edges of his eyes and sparks of electricity began to pulsate around his body. Gohan fought himself to control his power from exploding. With concentration, slowly he calmed down. Once calm enough to think clearly again, Gohan walked towards his home and entered.

It was painful to walk through his childhood home. Every decoration, every picture on the wall, and every smell evoked different memories and emotions from the half-Saiyan. He spent half an hour rummaging through his house and his parents' belongings trying to locate the Power Pole. The closest he came to finding it was a locked trunk under his parents' bed. He pulled the trunk out from under the bed, and, for lack of a better way, broke off the lock with his bare hand. Inside the trunk, there was his father's orange fighting gi and blue T-shirt, belt, boots and arm bands. The top of his father's gi appeared to have the "Z" insignia still on the back. Also inside the trunk, there was a small stone orb. At first Gohan was unsure of what it was, but then he realized what he held in his hand. The four-star Dragon Ball had turned to stone once Piccolo had died. His mother must have kept it with his father's other things.

Reluctantly, Gohan left the inside of the house and stood outside for a moment to shake off the memories from his thoughts. He looked to the side of the house where the lone tree still stood. Next to that tree was a headstone. It was his father's gravesite. Of course, he knew that there was nothing in the grave. The elder Kais of Otherworld had allowed his father to keep his body after death. It was an empty grave, now only a memorial to the greatest protector the people of Earth had really never even known.

It was so peaceful out away from the cities. Apart from being nearby his great-grandfather's house, he could easily see why his father had decided to settle down in such a rural place. The landscape was green and empty all the way to the hillsides in the distance. Soft, fluffy clouds floated softly over the countryside, while a breezy hint of their wind danced across the blades of grass at Gohan's feet. Gohan stared at the clouds for a moment, thinking to himself. He smiled, partly at his cleverness and partly at his father's forgetfulness.

"Flying Nimbus!" he shouted into the empty sky and landscape, his echo repeating his hail four or five times in the distance.

Gohan waited for a moment, and, as expected, his father's magical cloud, Nimbus, shot out of the clouds above and floated down to where the Saiyan waited on the ground.

"Nimbus, it's good to see you again," he said excitedly, not expecting a reply.

Gohan looked onto the cloudy platform for his objective.

"Ah-ha!" he exclaimed retrieving a short, red staff encased in a brown sheath from the cloudy body.

The brown sheath, tied with red twine, was no longer than perhaps two and a half feet. The shiny, red of the Power Pole only extended perhaps another half a foot beyond the sheath. Gohan passed the red twine over his head and left arm so that the sheath sat diagonally across his back with the Power Pole within easy reach over the shoulder of his right hand. Gohan practiced drawing the Power Pole, and, as he did, the Power Pole easily responded to Gohan's telepathically desired length. He sheathed the Power Pole and repeated this process several times, consistently producing favorable results.

"Awesome!" he said excitedly to himself. "Korin is amazing! This thing doesn't weigh anything! Thanks, Nimbus. It's good to see you again, but I have to get back to Kami's Lookout. I'll see you later, ok?"

Silently acknowledging dismissal, the Flying Nimbus Cloud took off back to the cloudy heavens to await its next call.

Having found his father's staff, Gohan sought out Dende's life force, and, once focused on it, used his father's technique to return to Kami's Lookout, vanishing from the yard of his childhood home.

Trunks and Leon reappeared on the eastern outskirts of West City. The dry breeze lightly tossed dust across the sandy plane. They walked slowly around the area Trunks had teleported them to. Leon purposefully remained silent. He knew exactly where they were. Almost a year ago in the same area, Leon and Shell had fought and lost against the monster, Majin Buu. The whole scene played back in Leon's mind. The monster's attack with Leon's own weapon should have killed him, but Leon managed to survive. He remembered losing consciousness and didn't actually know how Shell died.

"Buu tossed her bullets back at her," Trunks said aloud.

Leon grimaced as he remembered that just an hour earlier Trunks had revealed that he could read Leon's thoughts.

"Trunks, I'm–," he started.

"No," Trunks interrupted, "It's alright… I know you didn't mean…"

Leon sighed submissively.

"Yeah," he muttered.

"I came back here every week for six months," Trunks lamented.

Leon remained silent. He was well aware that there was nothing he could say to console his friend.

"She would have kicked me for that," the half-Saiyan admitted. "I'd never felt like that before for someone, Leon. Watching her die was even worse than seeing Gohan dead."

Leon fought to hold back his own tears. It hurt to see his best friend like this.

"I love her," Trunks said solemnly.

Tears ran down the edges of the Saiyan's eyes.

"We're going to get her back," Leon said as he walked over and put his hand on Trunks' shoulder. "I swear we will."

The wind began to subside and it suddenly became quiet around them. Leon first noticed the change, and then Trunks. They looked around the area with their backs against each other. Something was strange around them. Then, suddenly they both felt it. They both turned to the same side to see… Shell. Shell stood in the center of a soft, green grassy patch amid the barren earth. She stood there in the same angelic, white dress that Trunks had come to recognize as her otherworldly garb, and glowed with a soft white aura.

"All in good time," she said to Leon.

Leon's mouth dropped wide open and his heart was in his stomach. Trunks, likewise, stood transfixed on the woman he loved, unsure of whether she was actually there or not.

"Shell," Leon muttered. "Is that really you?"

Shell smiled but didn't answer.

"Trunks," she continued, "the darkness from your dreams is almost here. I wanted to see you one more time, because I wasn't sure if I'd get another chance to talk to you. According to Supreme Kai, I break too many rules by coming to talk to you. So, I don't have much time."

"We never do," Trunks agreed.

"We will," she reassured him. "It's almost over. But you have to be strong for just a little longer."

Trunks nodded.

"What did you need to tell me?" he asked directly.

Shell walked towards Trunks and Leon. With each step, the barren earth around her turned to healthy, green grass and the step behind her faded back to dust.

"I'm glad you are both here," she explained. "I needed to tell you both something."

Trunks and Leon exchanged glances.

"Leon," she said, her attention turning to him exclusively, "you are not in any way responsible for what happened here when we fought Majin Buu. I have never blamed you for what happened. Neither has Trunks; neither should you. You've blamed yourself all this time. You've never wanted to talk about it, but now I'm telling you to stop. You are a true friend, Leon. Remember that for me."

Leon's eyes watered over as tears rolled down his face. Trunks had never seen Leon cry before. However, Trunks noted, Leon made no effort to attempt to fight back his tears. Shell had walked up and effortlessly melted his heart in an instant. Trunks smiled inwardly. She had a way of doing that to people. Trunks' inner smile faded as Shell's attention shifted to him.

"Trunks, sweetheart," she began, "You worry too much. Have you considered that perhaps your dreams are of your own creation rather than that silly sword's?"

Trunks inhaled and prepared a rebuttal, but then paused and thought about what Shell had told him. He wasn't sure how to answer.

"You've been through a lot, Trunks," she continued. "We've been through a lot. But we are almost there. Stop worrying about your dreams and remember what brought you to this point: us. Broly threatens the life that you and I will have. He threatens everyone you know: your family, friends, and even people you don't know. Stop dwelling on things you can't control and finish this, so that you and I can have our time. Don't you think we deserve that?"

Trunks nodded silently.

"I love you," Shell said softly.

"I love you, too," the half-Saiyan replied.

"Now listen to me," she continued. "Listen to the Supreme Kai. Your dreams are showing you only what will happen if you and Gohan don't stop Broly. Nothing more. You know better than anyone what Broly will do to this place and everywhere else he goes. You know what he will do to our friends and everyone else on the planet. Stop him, before he destroys everything we've worked so hard for."

"Okay," Trunks nodded and said with a sigh.

"No matter how bad things get, they will eventually get better," she said softly, almost in a whisper. "Never give up."

Trunks stepped towards Shell and kissed her. After a moment, Shell faded from sight and Trunks stood holding only air in the sandy terrain. Leon's hand on his shoulder brought Trunks back to reality and the realization that Shell was gone.

"We're going to get her back," Leon swore to his friend. "We just have to finish this fight."

Trunks nodded without a word.

"Thank you, Leon," Trunks said gratefully. "We should get back to the mansion."

Trunks slowly turned to face his friend.

"We need to form a plan to–!" Trunks trailed off as he looked at Leon.

His heart dropped to below his stomach. Broly stood just behind Leon. Broly's giant stature from his Super Saiyan form dwarfed Leon in comparison. As Broly tucked back his right hand to chuck an energy blast into Leon's back, Trunks lunged forward, pushing Leon out of the way. Trunks braced tightly for the full force of Broly's attack, but only the grit of dirt and sand grazed his jaw line as he and Leon crashed into the dusty ground. As Trunks slowly opened his squinting eyes, he noticed that he and Leon were alone.

"What the hell was that?" Leon shouted as he recovered from Trunks' tackle.

Leon looked around quickly and then back at Trunks.

"I'm sorry," Trunks gasped, trying to catch his breath and retrieve his heart from his stomach area.

"Are you okay?" Leon asked, his irritation turning to concern.

Trunks nodded.

"Thought I saw…" the Saiyan said stuttering. "Thought I saw him."

"Who? Broly?" Leon asked, frantically getting to his feet and looking around.

"I'm sorry," Trunks apologized as he gathered his composure. "I'm just seeing things. My mind is messing with me. I'll explain more about Broly when we get back to the mansion. Hopefully Gohan and Dende are back by now."

"Shell's right, man," Leon said wearily. "This guy's got you on edge like I've never seen before. We'll get through it, just like always."

"I know," Trunks agreed. "You're right; we will. Let's just get back."

"Okay," Leon replied.

Trunks reached out his hand to touch Leon's shoulder and teleported them away from the desert.

Gohan reappeared at the Lookout, just outside the main temple chamber. He looked around the Lookout, just to make sure his friends weren't outside walking around. Off in the distant east, he sensed his brother and Leon's life forces just east of West City.

_"They must be on their way back to Capsule Corps,"_ Gohan thought to himself. _"It's getting late in the afternoon. Probably should head back…"_

The young Saiyan entered the main temple chamber and, after a brief search, discovered Dende enjoying tea with Mr. Popo and Korin.

"Gohan, you're back!" Dende exclaimed as Gohan walked into the room.

"Where did you go?" Mr. Popo asked directly.

Gohan calmly chose a spot to sit around the tea table with his friends.

"I see you found the Power Pole," Korin stated, his old eyes never missing a detail.

"I did," Gohan said smiling. "I went to see if it was at Roshi's house or my parents' house. Turns out, Dad left it with Nimbus."

"Well, I'm glad you found it," Korin said. "Hopefully, you'll take better care of my staff and Nimbus than Roshi or Goku did."

Gohan was sure there was a story behind Korin's remark, but, in the interest of time, neglected to ask for clarification.

"So Dende," Gohan said, changing the subject, "are you ready to be Earth's new Guardian? You guys did tell him all about being Earth's new Guardian while I was gone, right?"

Their hesitation provided the answer.

"Well, Gohan," Korin explained, "becoming the Guardian of Earth is no small matter. We did talk with Dende about the planet and the role of its Guardian, but Dende will require training and instruction, as well as testing, before he can become the Guardian."

"What kind of test?" the young Saiyan asked curiously.

Korin looked at Mr. Popo for support. However, Popo's blank look of confusion gave away the fact that there was no formal test.

"I'm not going to give away the test!" Korin cried. "But we'll consider administering it after a few months of formal instruction. After talking with the boy we do agree with you that he would make a good Guardian."

Gohan frowned, but then thought of a good compromise.

"Right, well, since none of us may be alive in a few months, how about we just consider Dende's efforts to help us battle the Saiyans that are on their way to Earth right now as his test, and Trunks and I can be his character references?" the Saiyan asked with a devious smile.

Korin's eyes narrowed even more than usual, and Popo began to sweat visibly.

"I have no objections," Popo said suddenly. "But let us speak of this again once this business with the Saiyans is concluded. I fear we have more pressing matters than merely becoming the Earth Guardian… especially if there is no Earth left to guard."

"Agreed," Gohan concurred. "Dende, what do you think?"

The youthful Namekian's eyes widened with nervousness.

"Becoming Guardian would be my honor, my friends," he said softly and humbly. "Of course, that is, if Mr. Popo and Mr. Korin approve. They have both been very gracious hosts, and I have learned so much about this world just in the short time I've spent with them."

"Fantastic!" the Saiyan exclaimed. "Right, I have a few, small favors to ask. Mr. Popo, if you don't mind, we may need to use the Lookout as a rally point if West City becomes overrun or falls. Unfortunately, I have no idea what the Saiyans are planning as far as their invasion, so I can't say for certain what our situation will look like. Is it okay if we regroup here should the need arise?"

"Of course, my friend," Popo replied. "You and Trunks and your friends are always welcome here; you know this."

"Thank you so much, Mr. Popo," Gohan said. "I have one other favor to ask. Mr. Korin, do you still have any Senzu Beans?"

Korin hesitated, then sighed.

"These are the last of my harvest," Korin explained, reluctantly handing Gohan a small, brown bag. "I can't give you anymore than this or I won't be able to grow any more beans in the future."

Gohan opened the aged, leather pouch and emptied the beans into his hand.

_"Four,"_ he counted to himself. _"Not what I was hoping for…"_

"Are they enough?" Korin inquired.

"Of course," the half-Saiyan replied quickly. "Hopefully, we won't need any of them."

"Luck isn't something that's been on our side these past few years," Korin reminded him.

Gohan silently agreed, but showed no visible signs of doubt.

"Thank you both so much," he said gratefully. "I'm afraid we have to go, though. We need to meet with the others so we can put together a plan. Based on how close that power feels, I expect they'll be here tomorrow."

"I expect you're right," Korin agreed. "Be careful, kid. Send Trunks my regards."

"I will," the Saiyan promised.

They stood together.

"Gohan, Dende, please stay safe," Popo asked.

"Yes, of course," Dende replied respectfully.

Gohan nodded his affirmation.

"Ready to go?" he asked his Namekian friend.

Dende nodded.

As they walked outside together, Gohan and Dende waved goodbye to Popo and Korin. Before Dende could fly up into the air, Gohan placed his hand on Dende's shoulder, and the two vanished from the Lookout. Korin and Popo both said a silent prayer for their friends…


	7. Chapter 7: The Art of War

Chapter 7: The Art of War

After Trunks and Leon had returned to the Capsule Corps Mansion, Trunks briefly attempted to explain to Leon how they had seen Shell in the desert. With minimal progress and an understanding smile, Trunks then went to his room to retrieve his journal and pour over his notes about his fight with Broly in the past. He sat at his desk in the corner of his room and read, periodically glancing at the Z Sword propped against the nightstand next to his bed. He thought back over the events that had led up to the fight with Broly: the unexpected invitation from Paragus, Broly's father; the charade on the New Planet Vegeta; Goku's confrontation with Broly. He reflected on all the factors that led up to the ultimate catalyst: Broly's rage toward Goku. It seemed to have broken some kind of mental barrier in Broly, the likes of which was apparently all that kept the young Saiyan sane. Because, once broken, Broly seemed to have lifted the floodgates of all of his hatred and malice.

Trunks shuttered.

_"Could it play out the same way?"_ he asked himself. _"Could they only be after the Earth and its resources? Maybe they don't even know about Goku… If not, Broly might not be that difficult to beat. What about Father…? Paragus knew exactly where to find him. They dropped right out of the sky that day. How did he know…?"_

"He had searched for decades," the Supreme Kai's voice answered aloud.

Trunks was momentarily startled, but relaxed as Shin's energy flooded the room.

"The universe is a large place," Trunks replied without looking back at the old Kai. "That's pretty damn good for a _few decades_, even for Paragus."

"I fear he had good leads," Shin replied evenly. "When rumors of a Super Saiyan putting an end to the reign of Frieza echo across the galaxies, it isn't difficult for one to consider following the rumors."

"So you think Goku's fight on Namek drew their attention to Earth?" the Saiyan asked directly.

"It is _an_ explanation," the Supreme Kai clarified.

Trunks couldn't argue the logic.

"Where did you go?" Trunks asked curiously.

Shin hesitated for a moment before answering.

"I returned to my planet to gather intelligence and take care of a few errands," he replied reluctantly.

"What sort of intelligence?" the Saiyan asked immediately.

Shin sighed.

"Speculation," he answered heavily. "Nothing I can confirm at this point. I'll explain more when we talk to the others…"

Trunks turned in his chair to look at the Supreme Kai's face. As he did, he glanced back at the Z Sword.

"How are you feeling?" Shin asked hesitantly.

"Fine," Trunks said flatly. "Why do you ask?"

"Did the nightmares stop?" the old Kai asked softly.

Trunks looked back at the Z Sword.

"Not really," he admitted. "But maybe the dreams are just my own fears and their consequences. Maybe that's all they really are: dreams."

He smiled to himself, remembering the kiss he shared with Shell.

"I'm glad that she came to you again," the Supreme Kai said.

"Me too," Trunks agreed. "Although it was difficult to try and explain what happened to Leon. Usually when I see her, no one else can."

"That's because it's very rare that spirits are allowed to return and interact with the living," Shin explained. "It's not good for the living psyche."

"Why am I so special then?" Trunks asked.

Shin smiled, but didn't answer.

"I think Gohan and Dende will be back soon," the Supreme Kai said, changing the subject. "Gather your thoughts, and I'll see you downstairs."

Trunks nodded as he watched the Supreme Kai disappear from his room. He could sense the Kai's power relocate to the living room downstairs. After a few moments of contemplating how best to explain the details of his fight with Broly and what parts were the most important, Trunks sighed heavily, looked at the Z Sword one last time, and left his room to head to the living room downstairs.

After gathering everyone downstairs in the living room area, it was no more than five minutes before Gohan and Dende arrived back at Capsule Corp Mansion. The sun was setting outside, and Bulma was finishing a phone call ordering a rather large meal order for take out. After she finished her phone call, Bulma returned to the living room area and sat down next to Avien on one of several large, plush sofas. Everyone sat on the living room sofas and chairs brought from the dining room except for Trunks and the Supreme Kai. Gohan's newly acquired Power Pole sat next to his feet propped against the sofa.

"So," Gohan said first. "What's the plan?"

"We'll get to that," the Supreme Kai explained. "First, Trunks, please explain to everyone your experience with the Saiyans. It's important for everyone to understand what we're up against."

Trunks nodded and took a deep breath, then sighed.

"After I destroyed the Androids," he began, "I returned one more time to the past to let Goku and the others know that I had succeeded. When I arrived, they invited me to stay for a weekend picnic they had planned. Since time wasn't really a consideration to a man with a time machine, I agreed to stay a few days and spend time with everyone. During the picnic, a spacecraft with soldiers landed nearby. The soldiers were led by a Saiyan named Paragus. Paragus claimed to have searched the galaxies for my father. He pleaded with my father to help him stop another Saiyan named Broly from destroying one of the far galaxies. He claimed that he had reorganized the last of the Saiyan race, and that they had found a new planet to populate, called New Planet Vegeta."

"Typical," Bulma snorted.

The room collectively looked at Bulma, who made no attempt to apologize for interrupting.

Trunks smiled to himself.

"Long story short," he continued, "Paragus lied to us about everything and tricked us into coming with him to the New Planet Vegeta. Paragus' ultimate goal was to lure us away from Earth so that he could have his son, Broly, destroy us so that Paragus could create a new Saiyan race on Earth. Paragus knew that the battle on Earth would leave the planet tarnished, to say the least. I wasn't convinced of Paragus' story, so when we arrived at New Vegeta, I began investigating. I learned of Paragus' plan from the locals who had been enslaved to help create the entire facade."

"How did you beat Broly?" Gohan asked.

"I didn't," Trunks answered directly. "Your father did. Broly's power is strange. Paragus was just after the Earth's resources… and revenge. Apparently, my grandfather had Paragus and Broly executed shortly after Broly was born. His power was a threat, so my grandfather ordered the threat to be eliminated. Clearly, he failed. However, when Broly saw Goku, something inside of him just snapped. Paragus used this strange device – some sort of power suppressor – to keep Broly under control. But after seeing Goku, Broly went insane with rage. His power was unbelievable, and he stopped at nothing to destroy Goku. He even killed Paragus before the end. After Broly beat us all senseless, we channeled all of our power into Goku, who used it to put an end to Broly."

Gohan smiled proudly.

"Did Broly have any weaknesses?" Leon asked.

"Not really that I could tell," the Saiyan replied. "Maybe one. You see, there's this Saiyan legend. Supposedly, once every thousand years or so, there is a Super Saiyan born. Paragus kept referring to Broly as the Legendary Super Saiyan. Obviously, we're not simply born destined to be or not be Super Saiyans… but Broly is definitely something different altogether. When he finally transformed, Broly was completely consumed by inconsolable rage. Every ounce of his energy was dedicated to his hatred. Consequently, that's part of what fuels the power behind a Super Saiyan. Broly… is the epitome of that. He's a perfect killer without remorse or discrimination."

"That doesn't really sound like a weakness," Leon said, interrupting.

Avien smiled slightly, but quickly brushed it aside.

Leon had been sitting reverse in his chair with his arms propped on the chair back. He stretched slightly to reinforce blood circulation to his arms and legs.

"Because of his perfect blend of rage and power," Trunks continued, unaffected by the interruption, "it seemed like Broly had to stop periodically during the fight to _get rid of excess_ energy. I've never seen anything like it."

"What do you mean, _excess energy_?" Garice asked urgently.

"As in he has too much?" Baleck asked for clarification.

"Maybe…" Trunks replied softly. "I don't know for sure."

"Is that possible, Supreme Kai?" Dende asked Shin.

"Nothing I've ever seen…" was the Kai's unusually short response.

"Then how do we beat him?" Gohan asked, refocusing the group on the task at hand.

"I don't know," Trunks said honestly. "I mean, we hope that we're stronger than he is, and maybe he won't transform into a Super Saiyan."

"Fair enough," Gohan replied casually. "So it's a simple power fight. How strong were you when you fought him, Trunks?"

"Not even close to as strong as I am now," the young Saiyan answered.

"See?" Gohan pointed out. "I doubt he'll be able to keep up with us in the shape we're in now… right?"

Everyone looked at Trunks for an answer.

"I don't know," he answered evenly.

"But–," Leon started but was cut off.

"You don't understand yet," Trunks interjected. "I'm not trying to scare you guys, but I want you to fully understand. I've seen what he can do. Broly has destroyed entire galaxies as a hobby. I've watched what he can do to four Super Saiyans and a Super Namek. He's different than Buu and Cooler."

"We're infinitely stronger together than you were alone when you fought him in the past," Gohan reassured him. "I mean, was anyone in the past a Super Saiyan 2 at that point?"

Trunks thought back to it, and shook his head no.

"Don't get the wrong idea," he explained. "Between the eight of us, we are very powerful; quite possibly stronger than anyone that has ever lived on this planet. However, I don't want to underestimate Broly. The thing is, something just isn't right with this. Broly should have arrived on Earth years ago. Why now? Why years later? There's something to it; that's what concerns me."

"Why would Broly wait?" Avien asked. "Do you think he sensed your power and needed time to get stronger?"

"That would be too logical," Trunks replied as a dismissal. "Paragus would plan an invasion like that. He would figure out the best way to surgically strike and conquer a planet. He's a smart Saiyan. Broly doesn't think that way. When he turns into a Super Saiyan and Paragus lets him go, Broly doesn't think about anything but death. You see, Paragus wanted to rule the universe, so he cared about how he did things. Paragus knew that he needed to leave some of the universe intact to have anything left to rule. Broly just wants to watch it burn. He's not right in the head, there's no rhyme or reason to him, he just destroys; it's his thing. Now, given that I should have ran into him years ago, there's just simply no telling how strong he is now."

"My friends!" the Supreme Kai said finally, bringing a quick silence to the room. "Please, calm down. I may be able to provide some of the answers to your questions. If I may?"

Trunks nodded, and walked across the room and placed a chair between the sofa that Gohan and Dende sat on and the sofa that his mother and Avien sat on.

"Now that Trunks has provided initial answers about what it is we face, perhaps I can provide some answers as to how we arrived at this point," the Supreme Kai elaborated. "As Trunks pointed out, Paragus and Broly should have arrived years ago. In fact, they did. They were – I believe – following rumors of Goku's victory over Frieza on the Planet Namek. Paragus' initial goal was to eliminate any opposition to Broly. Any Super Saiyan that could have destroyed the tyrant, Frieza, would have certainly fit that mold."

"So you don't know exactly why they came here?" Trunks asked, intrigued by this revelation.

"I can only speculate it was to assess any potential opposition to their planned conquest of Earth," the old Kai explained. "Namely, Goku and Vegeta. Of course, by this time Trunks was the only one of Saiyan blood left alive on Earth. From the other side of the solar system, Paragus could have easily assessed the average human's power level on Earth without jeopardizing his position by bringing Broly too close to the planet."

"They would have picked up Trunks' power level," Leon interrupted. "Why didn't they come to Earth then just like they did in the alternate past?"

"I wondered that very thing, myself," the Supreme Kai agreed. "But I noticed when I first came to Earth to stop Babidi from reviving Majin Buu that our Saiyan friends have a particular knack for masking their power levels everywhere they go."

Trunks and Gohan exchanged glances.

"So why not just invade then, if they thought there would be no opposition?" Gohan asked Shin.

"I am not sure," the Supreme Kai replied. "I suspect it is because they had larger problems at home. This is where my speculation ends. What follows is fact. What Paragus never revealed to Trunks in the past is that Earth was simply another collectable planet in Paragus' vast empire. His assault on Earth was much more about revenge against Trunks' grandfather than his particular need of the planet. Saiyans regard the human race as weak and useless. They have very few uses for perceived weakness in the Saiyan culture, even as slaves. However, there was a series of rebellions and galactic wars in the East Galaxy that threatened Paragus' treasured capitol of his empire. I believe this is why the invasion was delayed."

"What sort of rebellion was threatening Paragus' capitol?" Trunks pursued.

The Supreme Kai drew a deeper breath and sighed, hesitating to answer his friend's question. He looked at Trunks, then around the room at the others, who stared back intently.

"It was a small rebellion in Paragus' empire, far to the East Galaxy," Shin explained reluctantly. "In and of itself, this small rebellion was quite inconsequential. However, the locals maintained control over a major resource trade route between the East and North Galaxies. While the rebellion force was no match for Paragus' empire as a whole, they managed to threaten the supply lines that kept Paragus' capitol sustained. I recently spoke with the East Galaxy Kai about these matters. She informed me that the rebellion in Paragus' empire was merely the snowflake that began an avalanche. Paragus left the rebellion to one of his lieutenants who promptly unleashed Broly on the uprising. Paragus had the lieutenant executed shortly thereafter, but the damage was done. Unchecked, Broly destroyed over a dozen solar systems in the East Galaxy. Broly's indiscriminate destruction destroyed not only a central supply route between the galaxies – and Paragus' empire – but also several other planets that almost exclusively produced various precious resources needed to sustain the empire."

The Supreme Kai strangely paused for a moment. It appeared as if he were partly reflecting on the events and partly catching his breath.

"To be brief," he continued, "the resulting shortages created civil unrest and revolts that spread from the East Galaxy north. Several fringe systems created a _very_ loosely based alliance and began pirating resources in order to maintain trade with some of Paragus' empire systems. I suppose they found it to be good business."

The Supreme Kai became quiet, obviously not wanting to continue his account of events. Trunks wasn't sure what he was avoiding. The Saiyan hesitated but then attempted to catch a glimpse at the old Kai's thoughts. However, try as he may, he couldn't seem to penetrate into Shin's thoughts.

_"Don't do that, please,"_ the Supreme Kai telepathically asked Trunks. _"I've been around for a great many years, my friend. But please do not try to read my thoughts. Some questions are best left unanswered."_

The Supreme Kai and Trunks had locked eye contact as Shin reprimanded the young Saiyan for attempting to read his mind. Trunks lowered his head and looked down, slightly ashamed of insulting the old Kai.

"What _fringe_ systems were responsible for pirating resources?" Avien asked suddenly and pointedly.

Trunks lifted his head and joined the rest of the room in looking at Avien, wondering what brought up the question.

The Supreme Kai closed his eyes in response to the question.

"Don't ask questions that you do not wish to know the answer to, my dear friend," he pleaded softly, keeping his eyes closed.

"_Which_ ones?" she pressed, her voice trembling as she asked.

The answer immediately dawned on Trunks, and his heart sank.

"The Chandarin system was one such system," he explained with much hesitation. "After Paragus' intelligence sources had identified the systems involved in such smuggling operations, he used Broly to make an example of the systems willing to smuggle resources in and out of his empire. Chandarin was already in ruin by the time Paragus and Broly arrived, as Trunks left quite an impression on his departure with Avien. However, prior to arriving at the Chandarin system, Paragus discovered Soras."

Avien's brown eyes filled with tears and quickly streamed down her face. Trunks closed his eyes and thought back to her pain when they discovered her planet in ruins. He swallowed hard; partly for Avien, and partly as to how closely they had cheated death. As everyone in the room began to understand the significance of the Supreme Kai's account, Bulma put her arm around Avien's shoulders and pulled her close to give her a shoulder to cry on. Leon stood up sharply, tipping the chair, but not completely knocking it over, and walked a few steps away to absorb all that had been said.

"It's alright, sweetie," Bulma said softly, patting Avien's head. "Let it out."

A solemn silence fell on the room, but didn't persist.

"After concluding their assault on the fringe systems, Paragus and his fleet turned their attention back towards Earth. Paragus may still be looking for other opposition to his empire, but regardless of whether he seeks quarrel or alliance among Saiyan survivors, his purpose for Earth is the same. He will destroy every human on the planet and channel its resources for his empire. If he cannot have this, Broly will destroy everything… Just as he did on Soras."

Avien stood up, and, without a word, left the room and headed for her bedroom. Leon started to walk after her, but Bulma shook her head at him, signaling "no." There was another moment of silence among everyone in the room.

"What do you think their plan of attack will be when they arrive, my Lord?" Garice asked the Supreme Kai.

"I am not sure," Shin admitted. "I believe it will directly depend on our actions. If Paragus should detect the presence of Gohan or Trunks, it may greatly impact his course of action.

"Whatever, we do, Paragus – and more importantly Broly – can't find out that Gohan is the son of Goku," Trunks interjected. "Eh, I mean, whatever Goku's Saiyan name was – Kakarot, I think?"

"That's right," Gohan concurred.

"Okay, let me get this straight," Leon asked for clarification. "Major safety tip here: NO ONE mentions the name Kakarot or any relationship to the man. Right?"

Trunks, Gohan, and Shin all nodded in agreement.

"We can't risk Broly transforming," Trunks explained. "Besides the fact that I don't know if we can beat him after he transforms, there's no telling what kind of damage he'll inflict on the planet alone after he transforms."

"What was the weakness you mentioned earlier?" Baleck asked.

"Oh, it only really seemed to show up after Broly had transformed," Trunks explained. "But, it seemed like Broly had to periodically discharge excess energy. Maybe his body can only sustain so much and his rage just keeps producing more or something. I don't know for sure."

"What weaknesses did you notice on him prior to transformation?" Garice asked.

"Nothing specific," Trunks clarified. "In his normal form, honestly he seemed pretty weak. I don't think we should have any problem beating him as long as he remains in his normal form."

"Then we should plan for the worst," Garice concluded. "If his transformed state is the only form that gives you cause for worry, then we should build a strategy around contending with Broly in his most dangerous form."

"Or we can just take him out before he ever has a chance to reach that state," Leon argued. "Frankly, I'd say it is, at the very least, the safer option."

They were interrupted by the doorbell.

"Well, dinner's here now," Bulma announced.

Bulma left her seat at the couch and went to the door to receive their takeout order. Trunks and Gohan assisted in bringing in the plethora of bags and took them to the dining room. Bulma insisted she could set out the dinner and that the two Saiyans rejoin their friends in the living room to continue planning. After short deliberation, the group had come no nearer developing a plan to deal with the imminent invasion. There were simply too many variables. After reaching the conclusion that they honestly had no idea what to expect, Bulma returned to announce that dinner was ready when the group was. Trunks and his friends moved their discussion to the dining room and sat around the table.

"I'm going to go get Avien," Bulma told the group. "And no one starts eating until I get back!"

"Uh, I can get her," Leon offered hesitantly.

Bulma paused, then smiled.

"That's fine then," she agreed pleasantly. "We'll wait for you and Avien."

Leon stood and left the room to retrieve Avien as Trunks and his mother exchanged glances.

A few moments later, Leon found himself standing in front of Avien's room. Contemplating the staggering revelations from the evening's conversation, Leon hesitated to knock on her door. He wasn't even sure how to proceed.

_"Ten minutes ago, she finds out that the monster responsible for killing her father and destroying her world is on its way here, and now I'm going to ask her to dinner,"_ he thought hopelessly to himself. _"This is going to go well."_

Reluctantly, he knocked lightly on her door.

No one answered.

He knocked again slightly harder.

Still, only silence answered his knocking.

"This is off to a good start," he said to himself.

"Do you always talk to yourself?" Avien's voice asked.

Leon jumped slightly, looking for any sign of opening in the door before realizing that Avien's voice came from behind him. Leon slowly turned around to face her.

"I, um, thought you were in your room," he explained.

Avien stood still for a moment. For the first time, she admired Leon's innocent embarrassment as he stood awkwardly trying to justify his position. She smiled inwardly, but kept a straight face.

"Surprise," she cooed sarcastically.

"Where were you?" he asked reflexively.

She frowned slightly.

"Interrogation again?" she prompted. "I had to go to the bathroom, if you have to know. Why?"

She watched as her words pressed the button in Leon's psyche.

"No reason," he sighed lightly. "Just wanted to check on you."

Avien paused to take in his reasoning.

"You wanted to check on me?" she asked with much less edge in her voice.

Leon shifted his weight uneasily.

"Well," he began clumsily, "I mean, you know, after what the Supreme Kai said earlier, and all… I mean… I just wanted to…"

He trailed off into her brown eyes while she stared evenly at him.

"Just wanted to… what?" she asked honestly.

Leon's head dropped, as he looked at the floor for the right words.

"I just…" he began, straightening himself back up, "…wanted to say I'm sorry. About what happened, and about this morning – I, I didn't know…"

Avien stood silently for a moment. Part of what Bulma had told her about Leon started to stand out to her more than before. She admitted that, at the very least, his gesture was nothing short of sweet. She took a few steps closer to Leon; not to the point of being awkwardly close, but to a comfortable range.

"Thank you," she replied softly. "It's very sweet of you. I'm sorry for walking out this morning and leaving you wondering what you did. It's just been a rough week, and I apologize."

Leon's face was completely filled with confusion. The more he tried to understand this woman, the more he realized he knew nothing.

"Don't worry about it," he replied softly, not even sure of what he was saying.

She smiled visibly this time. Avien took another step well into Leon's personal space and stared softly up at him.

"Was there something you needed?" she asked alluringly.

Leon wasn't even sure what Avien had asked. His entire focus was centered on Avien's eyes and lips. He was aware that her lips were moving, but with all of his other senses ringing bells in his brain, it was difficult to hear the coherent question she was asking.

"…Dinner…?" he whispered almost silently.

"What's that?" she asked again, inching closer to his face.

"Dinner," he finally managed to answer with enough volume to consider it a cognitive response.

Avien paused, but remained well inside Leon's "bubble."

She looked at his dark green eyes, then down to his lips and back.

"Dinner?" she asked, clarifying.

"Yeah," he answered, shifting awkwardly, "Um, dinner is ready… if you'd like to eat, I mean."

She sighed softly, backing away from his face slightly.

"Sure," she replied, the softness from her voice gone.

She walked past him down the corridor.

"Are you coming?" she called back.

The bells in Leon's central nervous system began to subside, and he wiped his face quickly to bring himself back to reality. He looked toward the dining room end of the corridor.

Avien shot him an enthralling smile over her shoulder then continued towards the dining room.

"Damn," he said to himself with a deep exhale and adjusted the front of his pants.

He followed after her towards the dining room, trying to restart his circulatory system along the way.

After Leon and Avien returned to the dining room, they sat down at the table – Trunks observed – somewhat awkwardly next to each other. Leon looked as if he had seen a ghost. Trunks smirked inwardly. It didn't take telepathy to see what had happened. After a solemn apology from the Supreme Kai and acceptance from Avien, the group passed the catered food boxes around the table with each person filling their plates more or less, accordingly. As they dined, they again broached the subject of their strategy for the looming battle ahead.

"My Lord," Baleck said to the Supreme Kai, "do you think it best simply to attack the enemy first? That should certainly simplify our dilemma."

"If they hover outside our atmosphere, we'll never have enough oxygen to get close enough to destroy their ships," Trunks reasoned. "The Supreme Kai and I could teleport from ship to ship and destroy them from within, but there's no telling how many ships there will be. If we attack prematurely, and they retreat or call for help, then we'll either have to pursue or prepare for even larger numbers of reinforcements."

"Allow me to clarify then," Shin interjected. "Paragus's armada departed his empire's capitol in full force. They will have – nor need – any reinforcements. The systems around the capitol are too afraid of Broly's wrath to even consider attacking the capitol while Paragus is away. Because of this, Paragus has no qualms about leaving the capitol unprotected. Our only fortune is that his fleet has disaggregated between the capitol and Earth. Paragus will surely not expect to need his entire force to conquer the Earth. However, I fear that his Saiyan commanders have not been left to watch over the conquered systems Paragus collected during his voyage here. Something must have happened to cause Paragus to bring them all, but I am unsure of what."

Trunks and Gohan took a moment from inhaling their food to quickly exchange glances, then swallow down what they had in their mouths.

"Um, how far out is Paragus now?" Trunks asked uncomfortably.

"I'm sure they are within the solar system," Shin answered.

"When did you find out that Paragus was bringing _all_ of his Saiyan commanders with him to Earth?" Gohan asked, even more uncomfortably.

"Before Trunks returned to Earth, _why_?" the old Kai asked suspiciously.

Trunks and Gohan simultaneously breathed a combined sigh of relief.

"I was worried for a minute it might be my fault," Gohan explained. "I was in a bit of a hurry earlier today, and kind of turned into a Super Saiyan for a while."

Shin's eyes widened.

"What?!" he asked immediately. "How long of a _while_?"

"Oh not long," Gohan admitted sheepishly. "Maybe ten or fifteen minutes…?"

Shin closed his eyes and exhaled slowly to control his temper.

"Well, they certainly know that we are here then," he said evenly. "So much for our element of surprise."

"My bad, guys," Gohan apologized.

"We'll be alright," Trunks interjected. "Surprise or not, we're together in this."

Trunks words were somewhat uplifting following the Supreme Kai's scathing indictment of their predicament.

"Supreme Kai, how many Saiyans are in Paragus' army?" Trunks asked.

"Besides Broly," Shin replied, "less than a dozen, I believe. I don't have any facts for you concerning this; only speculation I have gathered from speaking with the East Kai."

"If we destroy Broly and Paragus," the Saiyan continued, "how likely will their followers be determined to continue the assault on Earth?"

"You know just as I do, my friend, that those ruled by fear do not follow by virtue of choice," Shin replied evenly.

"Then that's our plan," Gohan announced. "We need to cause enough damage to Paragus' troops that he sends out Broly. After we take down Broly and Paragus, with any luck, everyone else will just throw in the towel."

"We'll need to take out Paragus' Saiyan commanders," Trunks added. "Trust me, you're not going to want any distractions when we try to take down Broly. Having a Saiyan – Super Saiyan or not – blast you in the back while Broly stomps on your face will not make things easier."

"What about collateral?" Leon asked. "We can't focus solely on the Saiyans. Some of us will need to protect the people on the streets."

"You and Avien can take care of that until the heavy fighters show up," Trunks instructed.

Leon and Avien exchanged a quick glance including a small smile.

"Right," Trunks agreed. "Gohan, Supreme Kai, Baleck, Garice and I will target the invasion force and the Saiyans when we find them."

"What about me?" Dende asked modestly. "I can help you fight the Saiyans, too."

"I can't risk it," Trunks argued. "If you get killed, then we can't wish anyone back to life with the Dragon Balls. We have to keep you alive at all costs."

Dende visibly rejected the plan, but had no verbal objection. However, the room fell silent at Trunks' selfish instruction.

"We can't afford to have fighters sit out," Gohan said, challenging Trunks. "I know Dende is important, Trunks, but if we lose the planet to Broly, then it doesn't make much difference if Dende is alive or not. We need him for this fight."

Trunks remained quiet for a moment, contemplating Gohan's advice.

"Gohan is right, my friend," Shin said after a moment. "Just like on New Namek, we cannot afford to fight alone."

Trunks weighed his options, but knew that his friends were right.

"No one fights alone," he said finally. "Dende, you're in. However, nobody goes off alone. We're going to be in over our heads with all the chaos going on out there, so I want everyone to stick to at least a pair, ok? If your partner gets into trouble or goes down, get to them and get out of there. We can work on healing people once we get them out of harm's way."

"That reminds me," Gohan chimed in. "I got Senzu beans from Korin at the Lookout. I only have four of them, so we need to use them sparingly. Since most of you don't know, when you consume a Senzu bean, all of your energy will be restored and you'll feel like you're fresh into the fight."

"Perfect," Trunks agreed. "If you get into trouble out there, get Dende or Gohan's attention. Dende can heal us if we get hurt, but use Gohan's Senzu beans in emergency situations."

"Also," Gohan added, "I asked Korin and Mr. Popo if we could use the Lookout as a rally point. They said it was no problem; so if things get bad, we can fall back to there to recover. Plus, if you need to move around quickly, let Trunks, Supreme Kai or myself know."

Trunks looked at his brother surprisingly.

"When did you learn to teleport?" he asked.

"I didn't," Gohan answered. "Did my dad in the past ever show you his instant transmission technique?"

Trunks nodded.

"What else did your old man teach you?" Trunks asked.

"Guess you'll have to wait and find out," Gohan taunted playfully.

"Does anyone have any questions up to this point?" the Supreme Kai asked openly.

"I've got one," Bulma said raising her hand childishly. "How is everyone's dinner?"

They laughed collectively, and finished their meal together happily that night, despite all that lay on the horizon ahead of them. After cleaning up the dining room and spending the rest of the evening ironing out the details of their plan, they finally began to return to their rooms for the last good night of sleep they would get before the dark power that loomed in the skies knocked at their door.


	8. Chapter 8: Calm Before the Storm

Chapter 8: Calm Before the Storm

Trunks awoke the next morning to the faint sound of birds chirping outside his window. As his eyes adjusted to the rays of sunlight that penetrated the curtains of his window, he looked at his clock. It read 08:00 AM. He had gone to sleep well before midnight in anticipation of the nightmares that generally accompanied his sleep cycle. Astonishingly, he had the first full-night's sleep since before he fought Buu. Trunks smiled as he got out of bed and thought back to what Shell had told him just the day prior.

_"Have you considered that perhaps your dreams are of your own creation rather than that silly sword's?"_ her words resounded in his mind.

Trunks glanced briefly at the Z Sword. It was still propped against his nightstand. He left his room in his shorts and t-shirt to go to the shower. After his quick shower, he returned to his room with the towel he had dried off with, still attempting to dry his long hair.

_"Should have gotten a haircut while I was out yesterday,"_ he silently chastised himself.

Trunks turned his attention to his table on the other side of the room and walked over to retrieve his clothes. Before going to bed the night prior, he had laid out his clothes on his desk. He slipped on his faded black pants and pulled his black tank top over his head and arms and down his torso. He tucked in the remaining tail of his shirt and fastened his belt that was still looped through his pants. He found one of his better pairs of socks and buckled his boots snuggly. After adequately drying his hair, he pulled it back and tied it into a tail, with the sides still loose. Trunks easily tossed his blue Capsule Corps jacket on and grabbed the Z Sword in his left hand as he headed for the door to his room. He glanced around the room one last time, his eyes falling momentarily on his closed journal at his desk. He smiled to himself and switched off the light to his room as he left.

When Trunks arrived in the living room area, he found Garice, Baleck, and Dende sitting calmly on the sofas sipping tea.

"Good morning," he greeted them.

They collectively returned his greeting.

"Are the others awake?" he asked, setting down the Z Sword on the floor next to the wall-mounted television screen.

"They are eating breakfast with Mrs. Brief," Dende explained.

Trunks nodded and walked to the dining room.

"Good morning," he told everyone as he walked into the room.

His mother, the Supreme Kai, and Avien sat at the table eating breakfast and enjoying a pot of his mother's famed tea. He noticed that Avien had changed into another set of his mother's clothing. Avien wore a pair of dark blue jeans and a dark red, short button down shirt over a white, low-neck tank top. She had rolled the sleeves up to just above the elbow, and the shirt blended well with her dark, auburn hair.

His mother wore her usual comfortable blue jeans and white tank top with a sleeveless jacket over her shirt. Looking at the Supreme Kai, he wondered to himself if the Kai's clothes ever got dirty. He couldn't remember the old Kai wearing any other clothes since he had first met him.

"Good morning, Son," his mother replied.

Avien and the Supreme Kai quickly swallowed their food and tea, respectively and followed suit with Bulma's return greeting.

"Where are Gohan and Leon?" Trunks asked.

"I haven't seen Gohan yet this morning," his mother answered. "But, Leon was up about an hour ago. I was making breakfast when I saw him. He said he needed to go pick up some things from his grandparents' old home and would be back soon. I expect he should be back in the next hour at most."

"I'm sure Gohan will be here as soon as he smells breakfast," Trunks said. "Speaking of which, what's for breakfast?"

Trunks went to the kitchen to retrieve a plate and, on his way back to the dining room, almost crashed into Gohan who, as he had predicted, wasn't far behind for breakfast. Trunks and Gohan enjoyed a wholesome breakfast with the others and, when they had finished, gathered in the living room to wait for Leon to return.

No more than a half hour had passed before Leon returned to the mansion and met the others in the living room. Trunks noticed that Leon had changed into a pair of black cargo pants and a dark green t-shirt, over which, he wore a dark leather jacket, much like what one would expect a biker to wear.

"Whoa, Leon," Gohan joked when he saw Leon's clothes, "you never told us you were part of a biker gang."

A few in the room laughed softly at Gohan's joke.

"Very funny," Leon replied. "At least I don't look like I lost my way to the karate dojo every day."

More laughter followed.

"Besides," he continued, "I figured the leather might offer some extra padding if I find myself bouncing off concrete and steel today."

"There are still a few sets of Saiyan armor you could wear," Bulma reminded him.

"I appreciate it, Mrs. Brief," Leon thanked. "But I figure if we are fighting Saiyans, I might not want to be dressed like one. I wouldn't want get blasted by mistake."

"Speaking of," Gohan interrupted, "how much longer do you think we have, Supreme Kai?"

The room fell silent at the question.

Shin graciously finished his tea Bulma had made and closed his eyes, meditating on the life forces above them in the stars.

"Perhaps an hour or two now," the Supreme Kai answered softly. "We should prepare for their arrival."

"Everyone should take care of any last minute details they need to," Trunks agreed. "Everyone meet in the back yard in the next thirty minutes."

Avien downed her tea and left for the kitchen to put away her glass. Dende, the Supreme Kai, Garice and Baleck left the room and headed for the back yard, apparently without needing further preparation. Trunks looked at Gohan and Leon, who exchanged glances back. Gohan left the room back towards the hallway that led to his room and Leon walked to the dining room. Trunks was left with his mother.

"Mom…" he began.

"I'll be fine, Son," Bulma replied, sniffing.

She still sat on the sofa staring at the teacup in her hands.

"Is the bunker good to go?" he asked finally.

"It is," she answered, still staring at her cup.

He walked over and sat down on the sofa next to his mother. As he sat down, Bulma stopped staring at her teacup and looked at her son's still-youthful face.

"Promise me you'll be okay," Trunks said to his mother. "I want you to stay in the bunker until I come back for you."

"I most certainly will not," she protested. "When the craziness starts, I'll be helping to get people inside. Not locked away, letting them all die."

He frowned, searching for the proper words for recourse.

"If they attack West City," he replied softly, "I will be here to stop them. And while I'm taking care of anything that comes here to hurt you, Leon and Avien will help get people to safety, ok? I'll need you to be in the bunker and ready to usher people in. We'll take care of getting people here, okay?"

Bulma stared back hard at her son. She hated to admit that his plan was more sound than her own. Tears swelled at the corners of her eyes.

"Son," she sniffed softly, "you had better come home at the end of this, you hear me?"

Trunks forced a smile, although his mother's tears broke his heart.

"I will, Mom," he said, fighting back his own tears and struggling to keep his voice from trembling. "I promise I'll be fine. I just need you to take care of yourself for me, okay? I can't fight if I thought you were in trouble, you know?"

She hugged her son closely.

"I know, sweetie," she replied through tears as she held her son's hug. "I'm so proud of you."

"I love you, Mom," Trunks said softly, releasing his mother's hug.

"I love you too, Son," she replied.

Bulma looked over her son's face, tears still streaming down her own.

"Shell is such a sweet girl," she said.

She could easily see the surprise in her son's face after she'd said it.

"I'm so blessed to have such a brave and loving son and _future_ daughter-in-law," she said smiling.

Trunks smiled back at his mother, blushing slightly.

"You're the side of your father that he only ever showed me," she said softly.

She again noted the surprise in her son's face at her words.

"Surprisingly, I can understand that," Trunks replied, remembering Krillin's description of his father's actions in the alternate past when Cell had killed him. "Promise me that'll you stay safe, Mom."

"I will, dear," she promised as she wiped away the remaining teardrops. "You're old mother has survived this long. Another apocalyptic catastrophe shouldn't hurt."

He smiled at her sarcasm.

"I love you, Mom," he replied.

"I love you too, Son," she reciprocated. "Take care of yourself, and promise me you'll kick those Saiyans' asses."

"I promise, Mom," he promised with a laugh.

He helped his mother off the sofa, walked over, and picked up the Z Sword.

"My word, Son!" she said as he picked up his sword. "You need a haircut!"

He smiled as he walked back over to his mother.

"It probably wouldn't have hurt, but I guess it can wait until tomorrow," he agreed.

They walked together to the kitchen so Bulma could put her teacup in the sink and then walked to back patio together to meet the others.

Leon had walked to the dining room partly to grab a quick bite of breakfast, and partly to talk to Avien. He quickly choked down a few items before Avien returned from the kitchen. When she walked back into the dining room, she paused and looked him over.

"Nice jacket," she commented.

Leon looked down at his clothes and then quickly back at Avien.

"Thank you," he replied, surprised with her politeness. "Are you ready for all this?"

"Those bastards destroyed my home, Leon," she answered solemnly. "What do you think?"

"I'm sorry," he apologized. "I didn't mean…"

"Don't be," she interrupted.

She walked around the table to Leon, but stood at a comfortable distance compared to the last time she stood close to him.

"Although, you haven't even commented on my new clothes today," she flirted.

Leon looked down at her clothes, and did his best not to linger on her curves too long. He blinked longer than usual, gathering his composure.

"You look nice," he answered unevenly.

"_Just_ nice?" she whispered coolly.

Leon looked at her awkwardly.

She sighed, rolling her eyes.

"Guess I'll have to work on it," she replied nonchalantly as she walked past Leon and down the corridor that led to her room.

Leon remained standing in the dining room, recounting his wrong move. After a few moments of reflecting, he rolled his eyes, walked to the patio door, and went outside to wait for everyone to gather.

It didn't take thirty minutes for everyone to congregate in the yard behind Capsule Corp Mansion. Avien was the last one to walk through the patio door to the yard, and, after she had arrived, the others stood in a loose circle to discuss their next move.

"Is everyone ready?" the Supreme Kai asked.

Everyone nodded.

"Right," he continued. "Well, this is it. The Saiyans will not be long now. I anticipate they will be here very soon, although I am not sure where."

"We should head to the Lookout," Gohan suggested as he shifted the weight of the Power Pole sheath on his shoulder. "It will be easier to track the Saiyans' progress from there and also plan our defense."

"I agree," Shin concurred.

"When the fighting starts," Trunks instructed, "Gohan and I will take care of the Saiyans - especially Broly. I don't want people getting killed trying to fight a losing battle if they don't have to."

"Like hell," Avien interrupted, collecting everyone's attention. "Your home wasn't destroyed by these things; mine was. Don't think you're going to keep me out of this."

"Avien," Shin began, "this is not the time…"

"If the Saiyans have an entire invasion force, there will be enough to go around," Trunks interjected. "I don't want you getting yourself killed trying to get your revenge."

"Look who's talking," she threw back at him.

Trunks looked at Avien hard, then sighed.

"Chill out," Leon cut in. "Jeezes, we are fighting Saiyans today, right? Not each other? Like Trunks said, there will be plenty of fighting to go around. Let's not dive in over our heads."

"Know your limits," Gohan spoke up. "Don't pick fights you can't win. If there are as many as Trunks says there are, then they have the advantage because they will be fresh each fight. This is going to be marathon for us, and I don't have enough Senzu beans for everyone. We need to fight smart today, not blindly."

Avien's eyes narrowed at Gohan.

"Like I said yesterday," Trunks continued, "if you don't have to, then don't fight alone. Stick to a pair, at least. You may need them more than you think."

"What about Broly?" Dende asked. "What's the plan for him?"

Everyone looked at Trunks.

"I don't know yet," he said reluctantly. "I don't know what their plan is. We'll have to make ours up as we go. All I know is that initially, we'll have to fight these guys off while trying to minimize the damage done to the planet and the people here. We have to try to keep them out of the cross fire as much as possible."

"Just let us know what you want us to do," Baleck spoke for both himself and Garice.

Trunks nodded a sign of respect towards his alien comrades. He knew that they had volunteered knowing that there was no promise of success.

The Supreme Kai looked up at the clouds above them, sensing the nearing threat above.

"It's time to go," Shin announced.

"Mom, go inside and get to the bunker," Trunks instructed. "I'll let you know when I'm back in the city."

"Be safe everyone!" Bulma wished to them. "Kids, come home okay!"

She walked back into the mansion to initiate the lockdown protocols and get to the bunker.

"Everyone grab a shoulder and hold on," Gohan instructed.

All of his friends followed his instruction and placed a hand on the shoulder of the person next to them and Trunks and the Supreme Kai placed their hands on each of Gohan's shoulders. Gohan focused his instant transmission technique, and the eight warriors vanished from the back yard of the mansion.

Trunks and his friends reappeared at the Lookout to find that Mr. Popo and Korin were already waiting for them outside the Lookout Temple.

"Welcome back, my friends," Mr. Popo greeted them as they walked towards the temple entrance.

"We figured you'd be back soon," Korin explained. "Especially since a dark power has overshadowed the Earth."

"Saiyans, I'm afraid," Shin spoke up.

"What an honor," Korin replied humbly. "I can't recall the last time we were visited by a Kai. Please, make yourself welcome."

"Your hospitality is appreciated," the Supreme Kai thanked. "However, I wish our presence here was under better circumstances. If you don't mind, we would like to use your sanctuary here as a staging point to begin our defense."

"Of course," Mr. Popo agreed amiably. "As we told Gohan already, you are all more than welcome to stay as long as you wish."

"Thank you very much, my friends," Shin thanked.

The Supreme Kai turned from Korin and Popo to address his friends.

"The Saiyan invasion force will arrive within the hour," he explained. "They are very close now. I expect the military will begin preparing to deal with the Saiyans as well. They stand no chance, I'm afraid."

"We can't stand by and do nothing!" Leon protested. "We have to help them."

"We are," Gohan argued. "But trying to explain things to officials with so little time won't help any. If only we knew where they would land."

"Damn," Trunks cursed aloud.

His friends looked at him with concern.

"No matter how hard I try to figure out where they are headed, the only power I can feel is Broly's," he explained. "It's infuriating! It's so hard to sense the others… Their power is drowned out by Broly's! It seems like the closer he gets the more his power clouds everything."

The others stood silently, waiting for answers to the many questions they had. Trunks, Gohan, Shin, and Dende remained in deep concentration for several moments, attempting to sort out where it appeared the looming darkness was headed.

"South," Korin said, breaking the silence.

Everyone but the Supreme Kai stopped their meditation and looked at Korin.

"How do you know?" Trunks asked.

"I've been reading minds a lot longer than you, kid," Korin replied boastfully. "They're headed South."

"North," Shin said suddenly, drawing everyone's attention back to him. "Well, they intend to invade the North, _also_."

"Divide and conquer?" Gohan asked rhetorically.

"Maybe," Trunks replied unevenly. "But either way, it forces us to split up. It's the only way we can protect two places at once."

"Isn't this exactly what you warned against us doing before?" Avien interjected.

"Yep," Trunks said quickly with no intention of arguing.

"I'll take the South," Gohan immediately followed.

Trunks looked his brother in the eyes.

"I'll take the North," he stated decidedly. "If you run into Broly, let me know so I can back you up."

"I will," Gohan said with a smile.

"Gohan," Trunks said semi-seriously, "if you take off on your own again, I'll blast your arm off myself."

Gohan laughed aloud.

"Are you joking?" Leon asked seriously.

"It's a long story," Trunks said, matching Gohan's devious smile.

In a twisted sort of way, Trunks felt it comforting to be going into a battle again next to his brother. He could see that Gohan's posture and aura felt the same way: anxious and, in a way, excited. Trunks smiled inwardly knowing that it was an emotion only Saiyan blood could conceive.

"I'll take Dende with me," Gohan announced.

"Take Baleck and Garice as well," Trunks instructed. "Don't underestimate these guys. We can't afford to make any mistakes. I'll take Leon and Avien with me."

"I will go with Trunks as well," Shin insisted.

"Where should we start looking?" Gohan asked his Saiyan brother.

"I expect when the shooting starts, they'll find us," Trunks said with a shrug.

"We should head for the major cities," Shin decided. "From there we can stage a defense in the area. It would make sense for them to attack the major urban centers first."

"He's right," Trunks agreed. "You remember where South City is?"

Gohan frowned solemnly for a moment.

"That's near where our last nightmare started, Trunks," he answered reluctantly.

Trunks' demeanor soured.

"Yeah," he replied softly, putting his hand on his brother's shoulder. "It will be different this time. We'll see to it together."

Gohan smiled and pulled his dear friend and brother in for a hug.

"Stay safe, brother," he said as he let go of Trunks.

"You too," Trunks told him.

For a moment, knowing that Gohan would be there to help him fight Broly put Trunks' mind at ease. They were going to win; _he knew it_. But in the same instant, he suddenly felt his stomach knot from the sensation flooding over him. Something had just happened in North City – an explosion. The others felt it as well. He immediately turned to look at the northeastern sky. They could all feel it. Hundreds of lives were destroyed in an instant.

"What the hell?!" Leon cried.

Avien covered her mouth, feeling the same wrenching feeling she had felt when she first saw Soras on fire from the skies above the planet.

"Time to go!" Trunks exclaimed as he grabbed Leon and Avien by the wrists and looked at the Supreme Kai who still stood transfixed on the northeastern sky.

"We're out!" Gohan shouted as he used instant transmission to teleport Dende, Baleck, and Garice to South City.

"Supreme Kai!" Trunks shouted, bringing Shin back to reality. "We have to go now!"

"So it begins," he said softly as the four of them disappeared from the Lookout, leaving only Korin and Popo at the temple.

Korin and Popo exchanged looks following their friends' departures.

"So many lives," Popo lamented.

"The Eternal Dragon has his work cut out for him," Korin agreed.


	9. Chapter 9: Failure to Communicate

Chapter 9: Failure to Communicate

Trunks, the Supreme Kai, Leon and Avien reappeared in the rocky outcrops of the western outskirts of North City. From the rocky high ground, they could see the grey mushroom cloud looming over the southern part of North City. A giant ship hovered in the sky north of the city. It somewhat reminded Trunks of the spaceship Frieza had used to travel to Earth, but it was larger and triangular shaped. It appeared to have multiple weapon systems and could likely carry several hundred personnel.

"They must have hit a military depot," Leon suggested.

"Would make sense," Trunks agreed. "But if Paragus has no use for the human race, why not just destroy the entire city?"

"Are you complaining?" Avien asked sarcastically.

"It just doesn't make sense," he clarified.

"Either way," Shin said, "there's no reason for us to wait to see what they do next. Trunks and I will deal with the initial wave of soldiers. Leon, you and Avien protect the people from the soldiers that get past us."

Leon and Avien nodded, and then their green and red auras erupted around them as they flew off towards the city streets.

"We should waste no time with them," Shin told his half-Saiyan friend.

Trunks nodded.

Together, their blue and light purple auras fired away toward the northern skies of North City.

High above North City, Trunks and the Supreme Kai floated between the massive ship in front of them, and the city below. They noticed that at the northern edge of the city, multiple personnel pods lay scattered about the ground. They hadn't been able to see the pods from their rocky high ground west of the city. Trunks and Shin both knew that Leon and Avien would have their hands full dealing with the ground forces that were no doubt already raiding the city.

"How many soldiers do you think they sent into the city?" the Saiyan asked.

"Probably a few hundred, judging by the size of the personnel carrier pods they deployed," the old Kai replied. "I hope that Leon and Avien can handle things, but if we damage the ship, perhaps it will draw out some of the ground force."

"Should I just simply blast the thing out of the sky?" Trunks asked.

"The explosion would kill more people than save," Shin replied. "However, perhaps if we cause enough damage we can force it to land, or, at the very least, draw out their forces. Perhaps we can learn what their plan is as well."

"I'm on it," Trunks said evenly as he began a series of hand motions in front of his upper body.

Shin watched as the young Saiyan moved his hands through several quick poses in front of him. His hands moved at incredible speed, before Trunks' forearms crossed in front of him, partially covering his face, and then shot forward, outstretched in front of him. His palms were open, and his thumbs and index fingers touched, forming a diamond shape between the thumbs and index fingers.

"Knock, knock," Trunks sneered.

A blinding, bright energy ball with sun-like rays instantly fired away from Trunks' outstretched hands and plowed into the front of the spacecraft, causing a massive explosion to the nose of the ship. Shin noticed that after the explosion cleared, the exterior hull was badly torn and mangled, leaving a gaping hole and sporadic fires where the blast had impacted.

"That should get their attention," Trunks said softly.

"One hopes," Shin said to himself. He was, as always, amazed but never surprised by his friend's subtlety (or lack thereof).

However, Trunks' method worked. Immediately, sirens began to sound onboard the spacecraft, and smoke continued to billow out of the large fracture in the hull. The two floated patiently in midair, expecting soldiers to immediately be dispatched to investigate the cause of the explosion. They were disappointed to say the least. They both dodged in opposite directions as a large blue pulse shot rocketed between them from the ship.

"They're actually shooting at us?" Trunks shouted to Shin as he maneuvered out of the way of follow up shots.

"I'm not quite sure what you were expecting after you shot first, my friend," Shin shouted back as he dodged.

"We have to put that thing down," the Saiyan instructed. "Otherwise, their missed shots are gonna end up causing some real damage."

Shin sidestepped a pulse shot as it flew by, but focused every ounce of his telepathic power to catch the shot telekinetically as it flew by. As he managed to grip the pulse shot, he rotated in a circle to strengthen the shot's centrifugal momentum and released the shot back at the side of the spacecraft.

The Kai's shot hit solidly into the port side of the spacecraft, causing more black smoke to erupt from the inside of the ship.

"Nice shot!" Trunks exclaimed. "That was a neat trick."

Following the Supreme Kai's improvised cannon fire, the spacecraft ceased firing pulse shots at the two warriors.

"Did you disable it?" the Saiyan asked curiously.

"Not likely," Shin replied. "I am going onboard, my friend. I am going to try to force it down at some distance north of the city. From there we can destroy it, or at least prevent it from being capable of operation."

"Be careful, Supreme Kai," Trunks said, reluctant to let Shin go in alone. "I'll draw them out and keep them busy."

Shin nodded, then looked towards the spacecraft and disappeared.

Within seconds of Shin teleporting into the ship, soldiers began flooding out of the smoking fortress and flying towards Trunks. Trunks remained stationary in the air apart from drawing the Z Sword. As the soldiers closed in on the Saiyan warrior, he counted a loose estimate of fifty soldiers. He noted that they were of various alien races, and all wearing – some more appropriately than others – different variants of Saiyan armor.

"That's him!" one of the soldiers barked as the group neared. "You! Who are you?!"

"I put a big hole in your ship and all you want to know is my name?" Trunks taunted. "Look, I don't have a lot of time today, so we're going to skip the small talk. I can tell by looking at you all that you aren't Saiyans. So I just want to know: who is your Saiyan commander? What's his name?"

The soldiers exchanged glances, visibly surprised by Trunks' knowledge of the hierarchy.

"We don't answer to you, kid," the same soldier replied, indicating some role of authority.

"Why are you here then? What do you want with the Earth?" Trunks' voice became harsher, demanding an answer.

"I told you!" the lead soldier shouted as he leaped to attack.

The soldier flew forward and attempted to throw all his weight behind a punch towards Trunks. In the instant of time that followed, Trunks managed to sense the soldier's rather miniscule power level. Of course, it was only relative to his own. Trunks knew he clearly outmatched all of the foot soldiers in the group. He noted that while the soldier moved at perhaps eighty percent of his potential, it was as though the soldier was moving in slow motion to him. Trunks spun clockwise to his right and out of the way of the soldier's punch. However, as Trunks completed the rotation of his spin, he easily lifted and lowered the Z Sword in his right hand in a smooth, swift fashion.

As the soldier's body lunged past Trunks, the top third of the Z Sword's razor sharp blade fell through the soldier's neck, slinging a small mist of blood in the direction of the swipe. The rest of the group watched in horror as their comrade's lifeless body and head fell separately past Trunks and down to the Earth below. A light coat of the soldier's blood dripped from the tip of the Z Sword into the open sky below them. Trunks floated motionlessly; his body bladed slightly with his left shoulder toward the group of soldiers, and the Z Sword in a low ready position behind him.

What happened in an instant to the group of soldiers, seemed like it took forever for Trunks.

"I think we have a failure to communicate," Trunks said morbidly, easily intimidating the group. "Now, I don't want us to lose our heads over this. I just want to ask some questions, ok? So, who's the next guy in charge here?"

The group remained silent, beads of sweat visibly running down brows.

"Commander Saidi won't let you live, you know?" one of the soldiers finally spoke up.

"Shut up, you fool!" another shouted at him. "You know what happens to traitors."

"Well, you saw what the alternative looks like," Trunks replied evenly. "I have no intention to kill you. That will be up to you. All I want is some answers. So, who is Commander Saidi?"

"Enough of this!" the self-appraised element leader cried. "Commander Saidi would have us killed just for hesitating to attack him… Kill him!"

On the soldier's command the rest of the group charged Trunks at once. Trunks immediately brought the Z Sword forward in a diagonal slice upwards, cutting the first soldier to reach him in half. As the soldier's body fell towards the ground below him, the blood spray from the slice smeared onto the faces and scouter lenses of the soldiers behind where he had been. There was a brief hesitation from the group following the shock of another comrade being struck down in an instant.

"So much for group think," Trunks said grimly.

One by one, as the group of soldiers attempted to attack him, Trunks effortlessly dodged and counterattacked with the Z Sword, sending streaks of blood onto the rest of the group and severed body parts to the ground below.

Several soldiers attempted to surround Trunks, hoping to get an upper hand by attacking at once. As they encircled him, Trunks stabbed the tip of the Z Sword into a soldier that had more soldiers behind him. Trunks floated in a somersault over the impaled opponent, dragging him and the blade of the Z Sword vertically through the soldier behind him. Trunks immediately vanished leaving only the two halves of one soldier, the impaled other soldier, and a rain cloud of blood to fall to the ground below.

The group of perhaps fifteen remaining soldiers halted their assault partially from the shock of the stranger's brutality on their comrades, but also to locate where the stranger had gone.

"Catch," Trunks said just loud enough to get their attention.

The remaining group looked in his direction just before taking the full explosive force of another energy attack that Trunks fired their way. The close range explosion caused Trunks to cover his face with one arm. He watched what was left of the soldier element fall lifelessly to the Earth below. Trunks lightly pounded the hilt of the Z Sword with his off hand to shake the blood from his sword before wiping the remaining blood off on his pants leg and sheathing it.

Leon and Avien had only moved a few blocks into the west side of the city before they began to hear gunfire and panic from the streets ahead.

"What is going on?" Avien asked curiously. The gunfire was a foreign sound to her.

"Sounds like the military and law enforcement elements that are left are doing what they do best," Leon answered. "Let's see what it looks like."

He and Avien took to the air and flew west only a city block before they saw the carnage that unfolded below them. What few defense forces the city had left were bunkered behind whatever hardened structures they could find along the streets in an attempt to keep the invasion force at bay. Leon estimated that there were at least two hundred invaders fighting throughout the city streets. He noticed that the different alien races that undoubtedly made up the invasion force were outfitted with various styles of the Saiyan armor that Bulma had given him when he fought Buu a year before.

"They don't seem that strong," Avien said, interrupting his thoughts.

"No," Leon agreed, his glare never leaving the chaos on the streets below. "They don't. But they're still strong enough to shoot energy blasts at the defense forces and dodge bullets. That's something."

"Let's just blast them from the air," she suggested, looking at him.

Leon's eyes still studied the ground layout below them.

"We could," he said slowly. "Although we don't know if anyone is left in the buildings around them. If we start blasting away, we could end up hurting more people than we save."

"Then what the hell do you suggest?" she asked impatiently.

"I _suggest_ we get them to leave the streets so that you can blast them to your heart's content without blowing up a bunch of bystanders in the process," he answered pointedly.

"Fascinating!" she replied sarcastically. "And how do you _suggest_ we do that?"

Leon rolled his eyes and looked at Avien. Her look implied she wasn't impressed with his decision making. He silently resolved that she could get over it.

"Follow me," he said as he flew down towards the streets.

She exhaled loudly and took off after Leon's green aura trail.

As they flew over the ground troops Avien followed Leon's lead as they launched precise, harassing energy beams into the crowd of enemy soldiers below them. As their energy attacks hit the ground below, the blasts tossed enemy soldiers from their feet. After clearing a long stretch of street with harassment fire, Leon and Avien looked back to see a large swarm of enemy soldiers flying after them.

"I think they want to play now," Leon shouted to Avien.

The two stopped their flight and waited for the swarm of soldiers to catch up. Leon estimated they had attracted at least seventy of the enemy soldiers. As the soldiers caught up to them, the swarm began to disperse and surround Leon and Avien, forcing the two to stand back to back.

"Guess we get to see how strong they are now," Leon said aloud. "So far, I'm not that impressed. Although, there are an awful lot of them."

"Bet I beat your count two to one," Avien said over her shoulder.

Leon considered the bet.

"I'll take that," he agreed.

They began fighting off soldiers together as enemies attacked the two from all sides. A soldier flew in to punch Leon, but he blocked the punch with his forearm. Immediately Leon counterattacked with an uppercut to the jaw. As the soldier's body lurched backwards, Leon flew up slightly to bring an axe kick down into the soldier's sternum. The impact sent the soldier flying towards the ground and into a parked vehicle, crushing the metal frame in around the soldier.

Avien managed to catch the foot of a soldier who attempted to strike her in the abdomen. After catching the man's foot, she maneuvered inside the man's thigh and pulled his groin into her raised knee. The soldier coughed heavily over her shoulder. While the man remained momentarily stunned, she placed her hand on his abdomen plate and fired a red, concentrated energy beam through the soldier and into the crowd behind him, easily defeating several enemies with the blast. The close range explosion caused her to brace slightly, and she noticed it caught Leon's attention as well.

She smiled over her shoulder at him. Unfortunately, as she did, she caught the boot of another attacker in the side of the face. The impact sent her spiraling toward the ground with a slight whistling sound. She hit the ground hard, causing dust and debris to launch up into the air.

"Avien!" Leon shouted angrily.

He turned around and launched a large, green energy wave into the soldier responsible, immediately incinerating the soldier and taking several limbs off the soldiers in the group behind him. After the attack, Leon unleashed a wave of energy around his body, pushing the ensuing horde away long enough for him to fly towards the spot where Avien went down. As he flew toward the street, the remaining group of soldiers gave chase behind him.

He glanced back at the group behind him, then back to where Avien had hit the ground. To his surprise, a red energy wave headed his way. He instinctively dodged to the left, rolling around the incoming attack, and looked back to watch the resulting explosion kill several more enemies. He looked back at the energy wave's origin and saw a winded Avien standing with her hands in front of her. He landed next to her noting the few scrapes and bruises she had gotten from the fall.

"Are you alright?" he asked as he put his hand on her shoulder.

"Of course," she lied, reluctant to show any weakness.

Leon could easily tell she took a hit from the fall.

"Stay next to me okay?" he asked. "We'll keep them in front of us this time."

"Sounds great," she said, rubbing her shoulder. "How many you got so far?"

"What?" Leon asked confused.

"How many have you beaten so far?" she clarified. "I think I've gotten fifteen just with energy attacks. Sixteen if you count the guy I shot through."

Leon laughed as he looked back up at the group of soldiers reorganizing and headed their way.

"You may win your bet," he said, looking back at her.

"How many do we have left?" she asked.

"More than a few," he said calmly.

She was still catching her breath. Leon stood in front of her as what was left of the group of soldiers began landing on the street with them.

"You know, you're stronger than I thought you were," she conceded.

"Yeah, Trunks says I can lift a bus," he joked, although he knew she wouldn't get it.

"Okay, I'm ready for round two with these guys," she said as she began to breathe normally again.

"Right, keep them in front of us this time," he instructed.

"Got it," she concurred.

Two soldiers flew forward attacking at the same time. Leon stepped under the soldier's punch and sunk his fist deep in the man's gut. At the same time, the other soldier had tried to punch Avien in the face. She sidestepped the soldier on his inside, driving her elbow deep into his throat from the soldier's own momentum. Leon continued to lift the soldier up with his fist until the man was above Leon's head. He noticed that Avien had moved around the soldier she elbowed to the throat and was moving counter clockwise around the man. He dropped his fist from under the soldier he held up, quickly moving in front of the soldier holding his throat in agony. Avien stepped in under the falling soldier and sent a small, quick energy beam straight up through the man, while Leon unleashed another energy wave into the choking guard which sent him flying into the group behind him. The resulting explosion blew the choking guard in half and defeated several of his comrades. Avien dropped the dead soldier above her to the ground beside Leon.

"Not bad," she complimented him.

He smiled down at her, impressed with her creativity.

"Not bad," he repeated. "I think we're even now though."

"Aww, is no one left?" she asked.

They looked around the empty street. Within seconds, more soldiers flew in from the west.

"We've found them," they heard one of the soldiers say aloud. "Engaging now."

"Shit!" Leon cursed. "They're using radios."

"And?" Avien asked openly.

"And there's no telling who they're broadcasting to," he explained. "Paragus could know everything that's going on right now."

"Surrender now, and we won't kill you," the same soldier instructed.

"You'll understand if I find that to be a bit hard to believe?" Leon asked sarcastically. "Between you blowing up cops in the street and destroying military bases, I just feel like there's a small gap of trust between us, you know?"

"Surrender. I won't ask–," the soldier repeated but was cut off.

Leon launched an energy beam that took the soldier's head clear off and crashed into the building wall across the street. The resulting explosion caved in the wall toward the street crushing a few soldiers that were in the wrong place.

"Stay behind me!" he shouted at Avien.

Leon and Avien readied for another round of combat with a seemingly endless wave of soldiers. However, just before the soldiers rushed the two, they seemed to all lose interest in Leon and Avien completely. Several soldiers pushed their headset against their ear, apparently in an attempt to make sure they were hearing their orders correctly.

"What are they doing?" Avien asked.

"Giving us a break," he answered. "Let's get out of here and back to the street where they were assaulting the defense forces. It will give us a breather and help clear off some of the street."

Without waiting, the two took flight. They flew over and past the soldiers that had cornered them on the street. As they flew back towards the west side of the city, they noticed that none of the soldiers had chased them into the air.

"Why aren't they following us?" she asked Leon.

"No idea," he answered back.

As they neared the section of the city they had flown over on the way in, they noticed that they had managed to draw away most of the ground forces that had been besieging the city earlier.

"At least we slowed them down," Leon commented.

"Yeah, but there's still nearly a hundred of them," Avien reminded him.

They looked at the streets below for a moment. They noticed that all the fighting had stopped.

"Why have they all stopped?" Avien asked.

Leon looked around the city. Everywhere, the remaining soldiers began flying up out of the city and back towards the north side of the city. In the distance, the spacecraft they had seen from the rocky outcrops west of the city was listing to its starboard side rather heavily. They could see traces of smoke fuming from the nose and port side of the ship.

"Maybe they're leaving!" Avien exclaimed. "Maybe Trunks threatened them into leaving."

Leon watched the spacecraft curiously and patiently. It almost seemed that the ship was lower in the sky than it was earlier. He continued to watch the ship and all the soldiers that were flying in its direction.

"They aren't leaving," he said suddenly as he figured out what was going on.

"How can you tell?" she asked him.

"They're staying… permanently," he answered. "Let's go!"

Together they chased after the soldiers fleeing the city towards the spacecraft.

Trunks searched briefly for Leon and Avien's life forces to ensure they were holding their own in the city. After reassuring himself that they were fine, he turned his attention to the crashing spacecraft north of the city. Whatever the Supreme Kai had done, the thing was well on its way to crashing into the nearby snowy ridgeline. Behind him, Trunks could sense the remaining troops that had left the city were now flying his way.

"That wasn't as difficult as I had expected," the Supreme Kai said as he suddenly appeared next to Trunks.

"What did you do?" Trunks asked him.

"I only modified their pilot and engineering settings to my liking," he answered innocently. "The results should only ground the ship."

While the Supreme Kai admired his handiwork and watched the spacecraft fall from the sky, Trunks turned his attention to the small army that flew their way from the city. The remaining soldiers still numbered at least a hundred by Trunks' count but they were too late to stop the fate of their ship. The Supreme Kai watched emotionlessly – while the soldiers watched in horror – as the remaining troops abandoned the doomed spacecraft. The starboard side of the ship crashed heavily into the ridgeline, erupting snow and smoke high into the air around it. As gravity and momentum took their tolls on the hull of the ship, the alarms and subtle hum of the craft's internal power systems began to fade leaving only sporadic fires and smoke emitting from the ship.

Shin smiled to himself.

"That should get the Saiyan's attention," he suggested to Trunks.

"So much for the subtle approach, I guess," the Saiyan replied. "If Paragus didn't know we were here, he sure as hell does now."

"We still need to find out how many Saiyans are left and where they plan to invade," the old Kai reminded. "As Broly and his father draw nearer, it will become increasingly difficult to anticipate the weaker Saiyans' movements."

"Got it," the half-Saiyan agreed. "Now I just need to find this Saidi guy."

"That's _Commander_ Saidi," a foreign voice interjected.

Trunks and the Supreme Kai simultaneously turned their attention towards the warrior who corrected them. Trunks immediately knew the warrior was a Saiyan. Besides the fact that the Saiyan had made it to Trunks and Shin's position well ahead of the remaining soldiers that had abandoned the crashing spacecraft, Trunks could sense the warrior's relatively larger power level. However, Trunks still felt sure that the Supreme Kai alone was more than powerful enough to deal with the Saiyan. For Trunks, it would be a piece of cake.

Commander Saidi had dark green upswept hair, much like Trunks' own father's, but noticeably without the extreme peak in his hairline. Saidi's green eyes had a slight crazed look to them, but Trunks reasoned that it could be due to his uneven eyebrows that appeared to have been scarred on the left side of Saidi's face. Saidi had a similar build to Trunks' own, but was noticeably shorter, perhaps five feet, two inches or so, Trunks guessed. He wore the familiar black suited Saiyan armor that Trunks was familiar with, but the shoulders appeared to have reinforced shoulder guards that Trunks had not seen in his lifetime. Perhaps the strangest feature on Saidi – as far as Trunks was concerned anyway – was the furry, dark green tail that seemed to wrap around Saidi at the waist. The green color still created a noticeable contrast to the black and dark brown armor that the Saiyan wore about his torso.

Trunks and Shin exchanged equally confused looks.

"You bastards will pay with your lives for what you have done to my ship," Saidi continued. "I have no idea how life forms with your kind of fighting power managed to slip under the radar, but soon it won't matter."

Trunks took a moment to take in Saidi's initial response. Either Paragus didn't know about Trunks and Gohan, or he didn't bother to tell his commanders. Trunks wouldn't put it past Paragus to lie to his own. After all, he had only used Broly to try to get rid of anyone standing between him and ruling the universe. Why would he treat anyone else any different?

"What do you want with the Earth?" Shin asked, feinting ignorance. "Why are you here?"

"What does it look like, old man?" Saidi barked. "We're taking over."

"Who's we?" the Supreme Kai continued questioning.

"If I let you live long enough, you can find out," the Saiyan replied angrily. "But first you must pay dearly for destroying my ship."

After the short dialogue, the soldiers that had abandoned the ship with Saidi had finally caught up with their leader. Trunks noticed that they were surrounded by a horde of at least one hundred fifty soldiers. However, he also noticed that Leon and Avien were closing on their location fast and just outside the ring of soldiers that surrounded them.

"Supreme Kai," Trunks spoke up. "If you don't mind, please help Leon and Avien deal with the soldiers. I'll take care of Saidi. I don't want us to expend more time or energy than necessary."

"You'll deal with me?" Saidi shouted. "Are you kidding me?"

"Be careful, Trunks," Shin told his friend.

"I'll be fine," Trunks said seriously.

Wasting no time, Shin fired a series of energy blasts into the three nearest soldiers and flew straight into the horde in the direction of Leon and Avien. The majority of the soldiers took off after the Supreme Kai leaving only a dozen soldiers behind with Trunks and Saidi. Trunks looked around at the remaining soldiers with some sympathy for what would inevitably come next.

"This is your chance to walk away from all this," Trunks told the group. "I know you aren't going to, but I don't want you to say I didn't give you an opportunity."

"Kill him," Saidi grunted.

Before any of the guards could move, Trunks vanished completely. Saidi looked around frantically to try and locate his enemy. As the Saiyan looked around, he suddenly was startled by a warm, wet liquid that splattered across his cheek.

"What the hell?" he asked as he touched his cheek.

It was blood. Saidi's heart sank as he looked at the soldier that had been floating in the air to his right. The soldier had just as horrified a look on his face as Saidi did. The soldier's body had been sliced in half diagonally. The finely clean cut had thrown blood spatter onto the edge of Saidi's face. In the split second, it seemed like time stood still. Saidi's eyes darted between the soldiers that had surrounded the young Earth warrior. All of the dozen soldiers had looks of fear and death about their faces. As time seemed to pick up pace, the soldier's bodies slowly began to separate in the air displaying their mortal wounds. Each of them had been cut down in an instant. Their lifeless body parts separated and fell harmlessly to the ground below.

"Wh-what are you?!" Saidi gasped.

"I'll answer your question if you answer mine," Trunks sneered.

After defeating the surrounding soldiers, Trunks had teleported behind Saidi and now floated back to back with the Saiyan commander.

As Leon and Avien flew closer to the crowd of soldiers it seemed like they were getting closer much faster than they should be. Suddenly, they could see the Supreme Kai flying towards them.

"Supreme Kai?" Avien asked confused.

"This way!" he shouted as he rocketed past them.

A massive group of soldiers closed in on them.

"Like he said," Leon said as he grabbed Avien's wrist and picked up the speed pulling her behind him as they flew after the Supreme Kai and away from the horde of soldiers behind them. Avien squinted her eyes as their speed increased. She was impressed by Leon's incredible speed. After catching up with Shin, Leon slowed down and released Avien's wrist so that she could fly with them.

"I have an idea," Shin shouted to Leon and Avien.

He communicated his plan silently to the two of them telepathically. After a moment of explanation, the Supreme Kai and Avien broke off from following along with Leon. Leon turned to face back towards the group of soldiers chasing him. He gripped his right wrist in front of him channeling as much energy into his right hand as possible. As the group of soldiers flew nearer, they realized he was charging energy for an attack and collectively began preparing to defend from Leon's blast. After Leon's attack was ready, he fired it directly at the anticipating group of soldiers.

Simultaneously, Avien and Shin fired concentrated red and purple energy attacks from the flanks of the group. Several soldiers immediately took notice of the massive energy attacks headed towards them from the sides and diverted their attention away from Leon's attack to defend from the sides. As confusion took over the group, their divided defenses weren't enough to withstand the three sided energy attack. As the red, green and purple waves of energy met in the middle, a massive white energy explosion resulted, incinerating most of the group and leaving the remaining soldiers injured and completely demoralized. The few dozen remaining soldiers stood no chance against Shin, Leon and Avien.

Saidi watched in agony as the explosion in the distance destroyed the majority of his remaining invasion force. He turned around in the air. Trunks had floated away to put a short distance between them. As Saidi faced the half-Saiyan, his gaze fell past Trunks to his broken spacecraft. The battered hull lay on fire against the snowy hillside far down below them.

"You…" Saidi said through gritted teeth. "You're a dead man. You really have no idea what they'll do to you."

"How many of you are there?" Trunks asked directly.

"Piss off," Saidi spat. "You'll never beat all of us."

"Maybe not," Trunks agreed. "But I know for certain that I'm going to beat you."

"Just because we outfit them in our armor doesn't make them Saiyans," Saidi taunted. "You know I'm not as easy as these low-life scum that I sent to conquer the city."

"I'm counting on it," Trunks replied, his eyes narrowing.

Saidi let out a prolonged shout as he expanded his aura and channeled his energy, creating a dark green aura around him. Trunks gave his enemy a bit more distance, gauging the depth of the Saiyan's power. As Saidi's power grew, Trunks was anxious to see if the Saiyan had found the power to become a Super Saiyan yet. However, at the same time, Trunks knew he shouldn't draw the fight out any longer than necessary. He was trying desperately to get the enemy to talk. His telepathic probes throughout the day had proven to be ineffective as the only thing his enemies had on their minds was fear – an indescribable fear of Broly. Trunks hoped that if he could demoralize Saidi enough, he could get the Saiyan to tell him about what was to come.

When Saidi's shouting and impressive light show had subsided, Trunks decided that Saidi was strong enough to become a Super Saiyan, but apparently didn't have the motivation. Trunks knew that transforming into a Super Saiyan would be a gamble. If he did transform it would end the fight quickly and might demoralize Saidi enough to get him to tell Trunks what he wanted to know. On the other hand, doing so could entice Paragus to call off the invasion and simply destroy the Earth to get rid of any possible opposition without a fight. He decided that the risk was too much. He would have to do things the long way.

Trunks began to relax his constrictive nature, allowing his power level to even out naturally. As his power grew, Saidi's scouter began to flicker to life and display read outs – however, false – about what Trunks was capable of. After reaching the point that Trunks' power level evened, he focused his power. As more energy channeled its way through his body, Trunks' power continued to grow. Seven years ago, Trunks and Saidi would have been almost even in power. The harsh years had been good to Trunks' power.

Saidi lunged forward and swung hard at Trunks who simply disappeared and reappeared behind Saidi.

"Over here," he taunted the Saiyan warrior.

Frustrated, Saidi turned and flew towards Trunks in attempt to kick him in the face. Again, Trunks disappeared and reappeared, causing Saidi to chase him.

"You can't run all day!" the Saiyan cursed. "Eventually, you'll have to man up and fight me."

He took another swing at Trunks expecting the half-Saiyan to disappear on him. Saidi was taken by surprise when Trunks easily blocked his punch with a rock solid forearm. The impact actually hurt Saidi's small finger a little. Trunks floated forward quickly and shoved his knee deep into Saidi's abdomen. The Saiyan lunged over Trunks' knee and grunted loudly. Trunks removed his knee from Saidi's gut and struck the Saiyan's back with his elbow. The massive blow sent Saidi rocketing towards the ground below. The Saiyan hit the ground so hard that he created a shallow crater and a small debris cloud from only dirt and snow.

The impact cracked Saidi's armor and completely broke off the left shoulder plate. The Saiyan spat up blood onto the snow around him in the bottom of the crater. The warm, purple plasma melted away the snow quickly and stained the ground.

"You're a half-Saiyan, aren't you?" Trunks asked calmly.

Saidi looked up from the ground. Trunks stood above him at the outer edge of the crater. Saidi spat another spot of blood onto the ground in front of him and stumbled to his feet. He could feel a deep muscular bruise in his left shoulder where the armor plate had broken and held it briefly with his right hand.

"Who are your parents?" Trunks asked curiously.

"Go to hell!" Saidi shouted back. "Why do you ask so many damn questions anyway?"

Trunks remained silent.

Enraged at his inadequacy, Saidi powered up again and flew towards Trunks. The Saiyan engaged Trunks and launched a barrage of punches and kicks that Trunks easily dodged or deflected. Trunks allowed the offensive to continue for a few moments so that Saidi would get tired. When he felt his enemy becoming tired, Trunks sidestepped Saidi's obvious right cross and caught Saidi's wrist with lightening speed. Before Saidi could react, Trunks struck the Saiyan invader's elbow joint inward with an open palm, instantly breaking Saidi's right arm.

The Saiyan warrior screamed in agony and instantly dropped to his knees. Saidi's entire right arm had taken a beating and was now broken. With his enemy on his knees on the ground, Trunks was certain that the fight was over and Saidi was broken. Not far away, the Supreme Kai, Leon, and Avien landed in the snow and watched.

"This fight is finished," Trunks declared softly.

"I can still kill you!" Saidi grunted between breaths and groans.

"How many Saiyans are coming here?" Trunks asked.

"I'm dead anyway," Saidi whined. "Why do you think I want to tell you anything?"

Trunks drew the Z Sword from his sheath. Saidi's attention immediately switched from the dire pain in his arm to the blade in his enemy's hand. Trunks decided to show a few of his cards.

"Let me re-phrase this," Trunks said as he moved closer to Saidi. "How many Saiyans are with Paragus?"

The surprise of Trunks' knowledge of Paragus immediately showed on Saidi's bruised face. Saidi dropped his head and put his left hand over his face. He ran his hand through his hair and took off his scouter. Saidi dropped his scouter on the ground next to him. It's blinking lights continued to function.

"How do you know who Paragus is?" Saidi asked evenly.

"Paragus rules an empire," Trunks reasoned. "Everyone's heard of him."

Saidi shook his head. Trunks was immediately suspicious of the Saiyan's new-found calm, but needed to find out what Paragus was planning.

"No one this far north has heard of him," Saidi argued. "We found that out along the way."

Saidi smiled demonically at his last statement.

"You knew that I was half-Saiyan when you saw my blood, huh?" he continued. "Guess I'm not the first Saiyan you've seen. The way you fight, I'd wager there's more than a little Saiyan in you too."

"Trunks!" Leon shouted as he ran over. "Trunks, the devices they wear on their heads have transmitters in them!"

Trunks turned his attention to Leon long enough to comprehend his warning and then looked back at Saidi whose demonic grin had only grown. Trunks and Saidi both looked down at the blinking scouter on the ground. Saidi reached for the scouter with his left hand, but Trunks quickly released a small energy attack into the snow incinerating the scouter and blowing off a few of Saidi's fingers in the process. The Saiyan shouted loudly in pain again.

"You son of a bitch!" he cursed. "Are you going to torture me until I tell you? Is that it?"

Trunks contemplated it.

"Trunks," Leon pleaded, shaking his head no.

Trunks looked down at the broken Saiyan. As he focused on Saidi's thoughts, several of his questions were answered.

"Paragus is your father," Trunks told him.

Saidi looked shakily up at Trunks.

"Your mother was part of a race of people he conquered," Trunks continued as he sheathed his sword. "You never knew her… I'm sorry."

"Shove your sorry," Saidi cried as tears swelled in his eyes.

"Paragus sent you to conquer North City," Trunks explained. "You really don't know what his plan is, do you? I expected he wouldn't tell you certain things, but he really hasn't told you anything, has he?"

"He'll kill me for failing to take the city," Saidi cried to himself. "Do you think he knew that it would end like this for me?"

Trunks looked at his fallen enemy, curious about the sudden change in demeanor.

"I don't know," he answered honestly. "How many other Saiyans are there, Saidi?"

"It doesn't matter," the Saiyan conceded.

"Why is that?" Trunks asked.

"Because the only one that matters is the one that is going to destroy this world," he explained. "His name is Broly…"

"We've met," Trunks cut him off.

"And you lived?" Saidi asked. "I am impressed. In that case you don't need me to tell you what kind of fight you are in for."

"No, I don't," Trunks snapped. "Are you going to tell me how many Saiyans are on their way here?"

Saidi sat silently for a moment but then looked up at Trunks.

"Trunks, is it?" Saidi began. "You are a Saiyan aren't you? In fact, you're half Saiyan?"

"Which one of those is your question?" he replied sharply.

"Are you a Saiyan?" Saidi asked hesitantly.

"Half," Trunks answered, feeling sympathetic.

"I see," the fellow Saiyan said humbly. "At least I was beaten by a Saiyan…"

Trunks felt his sympathy grow for the Saiyan. He felt at least there was some understanding between them. As irrational as it sounded in his head, there was a sense of civility between them that Trunks knew was absent from almost all of the enemies he had faced over the years. In a way, it was sad. He considered that they were the last of an entire race and found themselves fighting each other when perhaps they had a common enemy in Saidi's brother, Broly. He pushed aside his philosophical thoughts.

"How many Saiyans are on their way to Earth?" he asked finally.

"No more questions," Saidi said finally. "Kill me and get it over with."

"Fine," Trunks sighed.

Trunks attempted to read Saidi's mind, but the entire process was starting to give Trunks a headache. Perhaps there was a limit to how much mind reading he could do? It certainly didn't help when the participant wasn't willing. Despite how hard Trunks tried, Saidi was determined not to think about the other Saiyans… Only his failure. Saidi seemed completely consumed by his failure to please his father.

Trunks gave up on trying to pry answers out of Saidi's mind. Soon enough they would find out how many Saiyans were coming anyway. Saidi had revealed that he was tasked with taking North City, so perhaps part of Paragus' plan was to capture the major cities. That would make sense. If that was the case, Trunks knew it was time to move on. He turned and walked away from Saidi with his friends.

"Where the hell are you going?" the Saiyan called out. "You can't just leave!"

Saidi fell into a sickness of grief, consumed by the anger of his own failure to fulfill his mission. Saidi slowly got to his feet.

"You won't leave here while I'm alive!" he shouted.

Trunks and his friends stopped from walking away. Trunks turned around and the others followed his lead.

"You're finished Saidi," Trunks told him. "Don't make this worse than it already is. Paragus will send Broly to hunt you down. If I were you, I'd figure out how to get that ship running again and get off this planet and as far away as I could."

"You can't stop him, Trunks," Saidi argued. "You can stop the Legendary Super Saiyan. No one can!"

"I've seen it done before," Trunks stated. "We'll figure it out. Maybe then Broly won't find you. But if you ever come back to Earth again causing trouble, I'll kill you myself."

"Then I'm dead either way!" Saidi shouted.

He shouted as he charged up energy into his bloody left hand. It was too late. Saidi fired a green energy wave at Trunks and his friends. Trunks immediately became a Super Saiyan to overpower the attack and keep his friends safe. He fired an energy wave back at Saidi's and forced the wave all the way back to its origin. When the attack exploded in front of Saidi, the Saiyan's body was blown apart in an instant.

No sooner had the dust cleared, than Trunks and Supreme Kai exchanged glances. They could sense the nearing dark power over West City. Trunks' entire thoughts and concern immediately surrounded his mother's safety. They could also sense Gohan's Super Saiyan power in South City. Gohan had his hands full.

"We have to go," Super Saiyan Trunks told the others. "Now."


	10. Chapter 10: Pride and Mercy

Chapter 10: Pride and Mercy

"What was that?" Dende asked his childhood friend.

"That would be Trunks," Gohan replied.

The look on Gohan's face was a silent testimony to how proud he was of his half-Saiyan brother.

"His power is incredible!" the Namekian exclaimed.

"Yes, it is," the half-Saiyan agreed with a smile. "Looks like Trunks and the others are getting off to a good start at North City. I wonder if the Saiyan there is running scared of Trunks yet…"

"No one has even shown up at the city yet," Baleck told them as he flew to their location.

After arriving at the city, Gohan and his friends had found nothing out of the ordinary. For the past ten minutes, they had been circling the city in an attempt to locate any invaders inside the city district. After Gohan and Dende had concluded their searches, they had flown up a few thousand feet above the city to plan their next move. Baleck and Garice flew up to join them at their lofty, invisible perch. It was a beautiful, sunny day in South City. The temperature was warm, but the cool breeze off the crystal blue oceans around South City made the atmosphere almost room temperature. Above them, soft clouds floated over the area, providing a natural shade from the bright sun whose rays still penetrated parts of the cloud cover above.

"We searched everywhere south of the city," Garice reiterated. "Perhaps Master Korin was wrong?"

"If only…" Gohan answered. "We're just early, guys."

As the Saiyan drew nearer, Gohan could begin to pick out his life force, even within the confines of his assault ship.

"There they are," he pointed out.

"They're above the clouds!" Dende shouted.

Far above them, a massive triangular shape began to materialize from the clouds. As the dark shape broke the cloudy barrier, it cast an ominous shadow down on Gohan and his friends. The ship was identical to the spacecraft that Trunks and the others had encountered at North City. As it lowered in the atmosphere, the four warriors watched the pulse cannons pivot about on the surface of the ship. They were ready to fire.

"It looks like Frieza's ship!" Dende cursed.

"Except this one brought some firepower with it," Gohan pointed out. "Everyone spread out and try to take out the cannons on that thing before it levels the city!"

Gohan had no sooner finished his instructions before the spacecraft opened fire. As Dende and the others scattered, Gohan fired a quick energy wave to push the cannon pulse off its trajectory towards the city below and into the ocean. After Gohan's display of power and resistance to the Saiyan commander onboard, the pulse cannons began immediately targeting Dende, Baleck, Garice, and Gohan. The four dodged and weaved around the cannon fire, while doing their best to narrow the angle of fire in order to force the missed shots to impact the ocean instead of South City. While they were mostly successful, the overwhelming cloud of pulse shots rained a few stray blasts onto the island below. To their dismay, they could sense the loss of life in the resulting explosions below them.

As the four warriors flew around, they used quick energy attacks to disable the twelve cannons onboard. After Baleck and Garice had managed to disable two of the cannons, Gohan noticed that soldiers began pouring out of the hangar bays along the lateral sides of the ship. They had to stop the soldiers from attacking the city!

"Dende, Garice!" the Saiyan shouted to his friends. "You two stop the soldiers from hurting people in the city! Baleck, help me put this thing down!"

As Dende and Garice flew off towards the incoming group of soldiers, Gohan sent two energy blasts into two cannons on the starboard side of the ship. Baleck's dark blue aura flew up next to Gohan, and dispelled around him.

"I'll take out the bridge!" Baleck told him.

"Don't go alone," the Saiyan protested cautiously.

"I won't," he assured. "I need you to distract the gunners so that I can get a good shot at the bridge area."

Gohan nodded reluctantly, and let Baleck go. The familiar dark blue aura flew up underneath the massive frame of the spacecraft and flew towards the front of the ship. Gohan's own dark red aura flared around him, and he flew up even with the starboard side gunners in order to give them a clear shot. He flew forward, parallel to the length of the ship, firing energy blasts at the remaining cannons as they fired pulse shots back. The gunners were not skilled at leading the target, and Gohan easily dodged the shots as they flew past him. When Gohan and Baleck both reached the front of the ship, Gohan flew a wide path around the bow to make another pass on the port side of the spacecraft. When Baleck reached the front of the ship, he kept flying out in front of the ship some distance before he made a vertical u-turn and flew head on at the bridge.

Gohan caught the forward most cannon with an energy blast before it was able to target Baleck. While the other cannons on the port side began firing simultaneously at Gohan, he dodged the incoming fire while exchanging his own energy attacks back at the gunners until all the cannon positions along the port side were emitting smoke and small fires from the penetrating explosions.

When Baleck was almost at the bridge of the ship, he forced his aura into an energy wave in front of him. When he was within a fingertip's distance of the bridge glass, he looked in at the pilot crew who all had the same look of fear and confusion as Baleck's energy attack ripped through the bridge hull and deep into the front of the spacecraft.

As Gohan cleared the aft end of the ship, he tossed another energy blast into a large group of soldiers that were flying from one of the open hangar bays. He watched as several lifeless bodies plummeted toward the ocean below. He turned his attention to Dende and Garice who were fighting through the soldier hordes with relative ease. Between the two working together, none of the soldiers was capable of even landing a solid hit. Gohan smiled at the relative ease of their success. He prayed it would continue.

He flew around the port side of the ship once more to check on Baleck and his progress at forcing down the ship. As he flew, he momentarily felt the air move around him, and then the deafening roar of a jet engine as it flew by. The Air Defense Force fighters had been deployed to respond to the invasion. The shock wave from the nearest of seven fighters that rocketed past left Gohan slightly disoriented.

_"At least the military is making an effort,"_ he thought to himself. _"Damn those things are loud, though."_

Gohan looked behind him to notice that explosions were setting off along the aft end of the spacecraft. The fighters must have launched on the spacecraft. Gohan had been so momentarily deafened by the jet engines that he didn't even hear the impact. As he looked at the pleasing sight of the Saiyan ship on fire, it dawned on him that the missiles must have missed him by a hair as he crossed the back of the spacecraft. His heart dropped for a moment. The fighters wouldn't know Gohan and his friends apart from the invading soldiers! Gohan focused on Baleck's life force and used instant transmission to teleport to the bridge of the ship.

Dende and Garice had been fighting off waves of soldiers as each group departed the open hangar bays along each side of the spacecraft. While dodging the seemingly sporadic cannon fire, the two managed to work effectively as a team to dispatch over a hundred soldiers. However, from Dende's point of view, it seemed like the soldiers were much less interested in assaulting the city below and much more interested in eliminating himself and his friends. In between the various bouts with random soldiers, Dende noticed that every time a new wave of soldiers would deploy, the new group – apart from the few that attempted to chase Gohan – would head straight for himself and Garice.

Another group of four soldiers rushed Garice at once from all sides. Despite Garice's relatively massive size, he was easily much faster than the attacking group. Garice closed the distance between himself and the soldier rushing toward him head on. Garice's alteration to the timing between them, threw off the groups unity of effort in attacking him. The sudden change in distance also both surprised the soldier and forced him to react uncoordinatedly. When the soldier attempted to strike Garice with a heavy punch forward, Garice simply moved around the soldier's fist and snapped the soldier's head back with his giant elbow. Garice took advantage of the stunned soldier and grabbed the soldier's outstretched arm. Garice leveraged his immense strength and size to use the stunned soldier as a club to swat the three soldiers attacking him from the back and sides. After following through with his strike, he released the club-soldier with the other three. While the four soldiers flew away from Garice, he released a quick, but powerful, energy attack that swiftly caught the falling soldiers and exploded, ending their mission in failure.

As the debris from Garice's energy attack cleared, a deafening roar raced past the two. In the midst of their fight with the soldier horde, they noted what appeared to be seven Air Defense Force fighter jets. Dende and Garice's attention briefly turned to the formation of fighters that flew past them.

"Are those friendly?" Garice asked.

"One hopes," Dende answered as he blocked an incoming attack.

The Namekian caught the soldier's punch on the outside, locked his elbow joint with his opposing forearm and forced the soldier into a spin that ended with Garice's massive upper forearm, just below the elbow. A loud crack ended the soldier's consciousness and Dende released the lifeless body to gravity and the island below.

"Do you suppose the humans find it strange that soldiers are raining from the sky?" Dende asked his comrade.

"Likely no more strange than the spaceship hovering above their city," Garice replied with a smile.

They continued to wade through groups of soldiers as they conversed intermittently.

"I wonder why they aren't attacking the city?" the Namekian asked aloud.

Another loud cracking noise was Garice's response as his knee shattered the vertebrae of another attacking soldier.

"If I were them, I would be more concerned about us than the city, too," he eventually replied.

Dende smiled to himself at Garice's comment as he engaged the next unfortunate souls dumb enough to think they would fair better than the hundred before them.

"Baleck?" Gohan shouted through the hull of the ship into what used to be a bridge. "Baleck, we have to find a way to ground the ship without destroying the city below us!"

The internal warning alarms were the only sounds to reply to his call. Behind him, Gohan could hear the fighters circling to head back for another shooting run.

"Baleck, we need to get out of the ship, now!" he exclaimed.

"You want him?" a deep voice asked through the smoke of the fractured hull. "Then take him!"

Before Gohan could blink, Baleck's unconscious body exploded through the smoke and battered hull in front of him, slamming into his own body and knocking him backwards away from the spacecraft's bridge. Having (more or less) caught Baleck, Gohan glanced back at the barrage of missiles headed straight for the front of the ship – and him! Gohan used instant transmission to teleport past the incoming missiles, but remained level with the bridge as he floated through the air so he wouldn't lose eye contact with the Saiyan commander he was sure had thrown Baleck from the ship.

As the missiles neared the front of the ship, a Super Saiyan in black Saiyan armor with bladed shoulder and forearm armor plates jumped through the gaping rupture in the ship's hull and effortlessly bounded and rolled over the missiles' airframes and into the sky beyond them. The passing missiles crashed into the front of the ship behind the Super Saiyan creating another massive explosion that the Saiyan didn't even acknowledge.

Gohan watched as the ship immediately tilted in the air and listed heavily to the port side.

"Damn it!" he cursed. "Dende, Garice, I need help!"

In response, the Namekian and his partner broke contact with the groups of soldiers and rushed to Gohan's side.

"Dende, I need you to take care of Baleck," he instructed. "He's alive; just out for now. Garice, I need you to cover Dende while he takes care of Baleck. I've got to stop the ship from crashing into South City!"

Dende and Garice immediately acknowledged and headed for the ground below. Garice fought off the ensuing soldiers as Dende flew.

Gohan turned his attention back to the Super Saiyan in front of him. In a fraction of a second, Gohan sized him up. The Saiyan had substantial power; he wondered why the Saiyan wore a scouter in the first place. He estimated it would be a good fight, but didn't feel the Saiyan had near enough power to really challenge Gohan. The edged armor plates on the Saiyan's shoulders and forearms were a new addition. He made a mental note to look out for shoulder charges and elbows. Physically, the Saiyan was near Gohan's own height and weight, and the Saiyan had a large scar across the face that started above his right eye and cut diagonally across the bridge of his nose to his left cheek. His hair – like any other Super Saiyan's – stood straight up over the Saiyan's forehead. He had a darker complexion than any Saiyan Gohan had seen before, and the Saiyan's golden-haired tail conspicuously wrapped around the Saiyan's waist.

Gohan decided that the time for subtlety had passed. In order to save South City, Gohan would need more power; which meant no more holding back. Gohan flew straight at the Super Saiyan invader, causing the Super Saiyan to charge at Gohan as well. As they closed on each other, Gohan's aura changed from deep red to bright gold. Gohan erupted into his Super Saiyan form and teleported past the charging Saiyan and continued straight towards the spacecraft. Gohan only increased in speed as he flew towards the ship, and then burst straight through the area where the missiles had impacted, pushing all of his power deep into the structure of the ship.

From the shoreline south of the city, Dende worked diligently to heal Baleck's wounds while Garice held off any soldier that dared get close enough. Fortunately, Baleck had not been badly hurt and was back to consciousness quickly.

"Dende?" Baleck asked as he opened his eyes. "What happened?"

"Only a scratch, my friend," Dende quickly explained. "But now isn't the time. We need you back in the fight."

Garice had bought them a brief break in the fighting. Dende helped Baleck to his feet and the three of them stood shoulder to shoulder facing outward in three directions.

"Where's Gohan?" Baleck asked.

"He's preventing the ship from crashing on the city," the Namekian explained.

The surviving group of soldiers landed on the shoreline around them.

"Sir," one of the soldiers said aloud, "we have the resistance surrounded on the southern beach."

Gariced examined the soldier's scouter.

"They must have communication gear built into their earpieces," he reasoned.

Dende and the others held their ground, anticipating the soldiers' attack. It never came. The Air Defense Force fighters made another pass over head, this time strafing the ground with cannon fire. The gunfire tore through several soldiers along the beach, causing everyone to roll out of the line of fire. Dende had his back to the path of the fighters. What normally he could have dodged or deflected completely with his energy, Dende's late reaction to the strafe run caused several rounds to shred through his left arm as he dodged and rolled. The young Namekian cried out in pain as he slammed into the gritty sand.

"Dende!" Baleck and Garice cried as they rushed to his side.

Several soldiers took flight after the fighters and one by one, began to shoot them down into the sea.

Dende rolled onto his back. Purple blood oozed from his shredded left upper arm and stained the grainy sand. The salt infused sand only caused the pain to be worse to the Namekian.

"Lie still," Baleck told him.

"No," Dende explained through gritted teeth. "It's alright; I can heal this."

They hesitantly helped the Namekian to his feet. After Dende caught his breath, he slowly calmed his body down. Through clenched teeth, he reached over with his right hand, clamped down harshly against his left upper arm, and ripped his left arm off at the shoulder. A few of the remaining nearby soldiers vomited at the sight. Baleck and Garice looked away in disgust.

"Dende," Baleck said nauseously, "what are you doing?"

"It will regenerate," the Namekian explained somewhat calmly, given the circumstances.

Beads of sweat poured down Dende's face. It was obvious that the process was both painful and energy consuming. Despite the pain and strain on Dende's body, he appeared to remain in steady meditation for a few moments.

"Well, that looked painful," a deep voice commented.

Baleck and Garice noticed that the Saiyan with gold hair had landed in the midst of the group of soldiers that remained. At a quick glance, Baleck guessed there were at least thirty remaining.

"I've never seen medical treatment that began with amputation, but I won't stop you from ripping your own limbs off," the Saiyan intimidated.

"Who are you?" Baleck asked.

"I'm the one that knocked your ass out cold," the Saiyan replied coolly. "Those ships are very expensive. For wrecking it, I'll have to make your death worth my time."

"Where's Gohan?" Baleck asked Garice.

"The Saiyan, you mean?" the Super Saiyan interjected. "It looks like he's parking my ship for me."

They watched in horror as the Saiyan ship crashed into the ocean with Gohan in it. As the ship began to sink, blast bubbles resonated on the surface from the underwater explosions.

"Who are you friend's parents?" the Saiyan asked, gathering their attention again.

"If you're really that interested in me, why don't you ask me?" Gohan replied for them.

Several scouters buzzed to life and begin tracking Gohan's power. Gohan had used instant transmission to leave the crashing ship and reappear behind the Saiyan and his soldiers. Gohan's Super Saiyan form had vanished, but his power still attracted attention.

"Gohan!" Baleck and Garice exclaimed, equally relieved that their friend was alright.

"Gohan, is it?" the Saiyan asked, turning to face his adversary. "Well, I can't say that I recognize the name. How is it that you came to live on Earth, Gohan?"

"If you really want to know, I was born here," the half-Saiyan replied evenly. "Frankly, though, I would say you owe me more of an explanation than I do you. Who are you and why are you invading my planet? Let's start there."

The Super Saiyan remained silent for a moment until his golden hair and glow faded, and he returned to his normal form. The Saiyan's hair was jet black and was swept back in rolling spikes.

Behind him, Dende broke the silence with grunts and groans that culminated into a brief shout as Dende's arm regenerated and shot out of the open shoulder wound tossing more blood and viscous fluids across the sand. Another guard vomited at the sight.

The Saiyan commander looked at Dende's slimy, recovered arm with a slight look of disgust and then at the vomiting soldier with even more disgust. The Saiyan fired a small energy beam from his finger that struck the weak-stomached soldier and instantly exploded the soldier from the inside out, painting the surrounding soldiers with parts and liquids from the victim.

"Soldiers should not have weak stomachs," the Saiyan touted.

"You alright, Dende?" Gohan asked his friend.

"Never better, my friend," the Namekian replied as he stretched his new left arm.

"So where were we?" Gohan asked the Saiyan. "Oh, I think we were accepting your surrender, Mister…?"

The Saiyan turned from Dende to face Gohan.

"Ralen," he said, introducing himself. "My name is Ralen; and it's Commander, not Mister."

"Sure," Gohan sighed. "But you know that you can't beat the four of us."

"Well, we both know I can beat the three of them," Ralen corrected.

"At the same time?" the half-Saiyan asked evenly.

"Who knows?" the Saiyan commander answered. "But the real mystery is who would win between us?"

"That's not a mystery," Gohan sneered confidently.

Ralen reciprocated Gohan's grim smile.

"Soldiers," the Saiyan said finally. "Keep the three other fighters entertained. The Saiyan is mine."

At his command, the remaining few dozen soldiers took flight and chased Dende, Baleck and Garirce into the sky.

"That should keep the kids busy," Ralen commented. "So tell me then, Gohan, are you a half-Saiyan then? Where's your tail?"

"Half," Gohan humored the man. "And I don't need my tail."

"You know Saiyans are much stronger with their tails?" he replied.

"Trust me," the half-Saiyan promised. "I won't need it."

"You're very confident," Ralen pointed out. "That's one trait that just doesn't seem to wash out of our blood, does it?"

"It's still early in the day," he taunted. "Let's see if we can wash it out of yours…"

Ralen began channeling his energy until it manifested physically in his dark red aura. The Saiyan shouted as he focused his emotions onto the right memory to trigger his transformation. Slowly – and with much effort – Ralen's red aura changed to gold, his eyes changed back to the familiar teal color, and his hair changed to the golden color of a Super Saiyan. With his transformation completed, Ralen relaxed slightly, allowing his power to even and balance.

Gohan blinked in about the same time it took him to transform into a Super Saiyan; and with more control and calm than Ralen had ever seen in his life. It was easy for Gohan. Like Trunks, the cruel years had molded an efficient warrior. Gohan remained standing squared off with his opponent. The only motion he made was to unsheathe his father's staff: the Power Pole. The staff looked insignificant in his hand. It was just over two feet in length.

Ralen laughed at the absurd spectacle. He lowered himself into an offensive fighting stance.

"Ready?" the Saiyan invader asked grimly.

He didn't wait for a reply. However, in the instant that Ralen charged forward at Gohan, he felt the familiar pressure of a blow to his solar plexus. As the inertia rebounded in his body, he glanced downward to see the end of the staff that Gohan held pressed to his armor plate. A moment before, the staff was minuscule. What cheap trick was this? Ralen steadied his balance from the rebound of the strike and reached for the end of the staff at his armor plate. As if teasing the Saiyan, the staff seemed to retract from his armor plate just before he could grab it. Ralen immediately realized that he was being set up for a counterattack and prepared for an offensive.

After halting the Saiyan's offensive, Gohan stepped forward with his overhead counterattack with the Power Pole. At Gohan's mental command, the staff would extend to the proper length for his strike before returning to his preferred, compact size. His first overhand strike required him only to rotate his hands a short distance in front of him, while the extent of the staff created a massive whip motion into Ralen's bladed, forearm armor plates. The shock of the impact kept Ralen on the defensive. As the staff retracted, it simply slid off the Saiyan's armor plates before extending in length again and prodding Ralen in the face.

Gohan smiled inwardly at the ease of his attack with such a weapon and a mild bit of creativity. He hadn't broken a sweat, but he could easily see that Ralen was pissed by the turn of events. Anxious to test his creativity with the Power Pole, and Ralen seeming to be an obvious warm up exercise, Gohan retracted the length of the staff to allow Ralen to again attempt an offensive strike.

"Still a mystery as to whether or not you can win?" Gohan taunted, driving Ralen's rage.

The Saiyan shouted loudly as he charged towards Gohan and threw all his weight behind a hard, right punch. Gohan stepped to the outside of the punch and struck hard with the staff against Ralen's chest plate at the base of the sternum. The impact stunned the Saiyan for a moment, but was more than enough time for Gohan. He retracted his critically aimed sternum shot and pulled the staff inward, striking low and into the back of Ralen's right knee, pressing it into the ground and forcing the Saiyan to kneel. Gohan retracted his last strike and extended the staff across Ralen's chest under his right arm. He leveraged the staff up with his own weight, before extending the staff past Ralen's right under arm and out behind his neck. Gohan rotated the staff with his own body, forcing the Saiyan facedown into the ground. Ralen was pinned with the staff to the back of his neck and pressed into his left shoulder. He gritted his teeth in pain since his right arm was pressed up and almost out of socket by the angle of the staff under his arm.

After taking to the air, Dende, Baleck, and Garice stuck relatively close, but kept enough space between them to allow multiple soldiers to attack them at once.

Three soldiers charged at Baleck from opposite sides. As the soldier in front of Baleck neared, Baleck charged forward and sunk his knee deep into the soldier's gut. The soldier lunged forward at the pain from Baleck's knee. In an instant, Baleck seemed to disappear, and then the soldier felt a sharp pain in his back as he began to fly towards his incoming comrades. The soldier smashed into his comrades horizontally, which caused them both to reel backwards. Baleck was already behind the two staggered soldiers, and stopped them both from falling backwards from their fellow soldier's impact. Baleck dug both his fists deep into the two soldiers' backs which crushed their armor and collapsed their lungs on one side. When Baleck felt the two soldiers fall limp from the impact of his strikes, he floated above them and unleashed a savage, blue energy wave that sent the charred remains of the three soldiers into the ocean below.

Dende found himself surrounded by no less than nine soldiers. As the soldiers began to close in, Dende quickly charged several small energy blasts and fired them methodically in various directions at the incoming soldiers. The soldiers easily dodged Dende's slow moving energy attacks as they closed on his position. Just before the nine soldiers were in striking distance, Dende quickly moved out of the way, and seemingly disappeared to the attacking soldiers. When the nine soldiers converged, they paused momentarily, waiting for their scouters to light up and track their quarry. All of their scouters simultaneously completed their task and pointed the soldiers' attention to a calm Namekian floating in the air perhaps only thirty feet away. However, after the soldiers' scouters had identified Dende's location, they began flashing sporadically and tracking other various energy signals in the sky. In what was an instant to the soldiers, but almost forever to Dende, the soldiers finally noticed that all of the Namekian's seemingly missed energy attacks were floating ominously all around the group. Without hesitation or pity, the barrage of free-floating energy attacks crashed down on the helpless group of soldiers.

As the three continued to strike down more soldiers, it became readily apparent to the remaining group that there was no chance of beating the Earth warriors.

The Saiyan commander groaned and fidgeted under the force of Gohan's Power Pole that held Ralen firmly facedown against the sand.

"Why are you here?" Gohan asked. "And how many others will I have to beat into the ground to convince you that Earth is not worth trying to capture?"

"You're a tough son of a bitch," Ralen spat, his breath blowing sand away from his face. "I'll give you that. But you're kidding yourself if you think I came here to betray my family. I'll die long before you beat that out of me."

"You're probably right about that," Gohan said softly.

"I'm a Saiyan," Ralen stated proudly. "I won't beg for your mercy!"

"I won't offer it," Gohan replied grimly.

He retracted the Power Pole from pinning the Saiyan's body to the sand, and kicked him moderately, causing Ralen's body to roll across the sand away from Gohan. After a few rolls, Ralen shifted his body to roll to his feet.

"So is Paragus your father, then?" Gohan asked directly.

He could easily see the surprise in Ralen's face.

"I'll take that as a yes," the half-Saiyan said with a smile. "So that means Broly is your brother, or at least half-brother, right?"

"H-how do you know that?" Ralen asked, confirming Gohan's suspicions.

"You just told me," Gohan replied evenly. "Although I was suspicious when you volunteered not to _betray your family_."

Ralen shifted his weight uncomfortably.

"I guess if you already know about Broly, then me telling you about the fact that you'll soon be dead is irrelevant then?" the Saiyan spat.

"So if Paragus is your father, was your mother a Saiyan too, or was Paragus just busy _populating his empire_?" Gohan probed, intending an insult.

"How dare you insult my family?" Ralen asked enraged.

"Hey," the half-Saiyan replied coolly, "You called my mom a bitch first, so you want some respect; learn to show a little."

"I'll beat the respect out of you!" Ralen shouted as he charged at Gohan again.

"Wrong answer," Gohan replied under his breath.

Before Ralen was even within striking distance, Gohan twirled the Power Pole around him to build up momentum before landing a solid, baseball-swing strike into the center of mass on his adversary. Ralen grunted loudly as he flew up and backwards through the air with a faint whistling noise from his velocity. High above the shoreline, the Saiyan began to recover from the strike that sent him flying. However, before he could steady himself, he felt another sharp pain on his back. The pain was accompanied by a loud crack, and Ralen was suddenly flying in the opposite direction through the air.

When he again attempted to recover from the strike, Ralen watched Gohan appear from seemingly nowhere a short distance ahead of him. The Saiyan quickly realized he was too late to correct his flight path and braced for another hard strike. Gohan again swung the staff deep into the Saiyan's abdomen plate. Ralen reeled forward over the Power Pole from the opposing inertia. Suddenly, Ralen lost track of everything that was happening except for the pain.

After Gohan stopped the Saiyan cold with a gut-wrenching strike to the abdomen, he tossed the Saiyan up and began to instantly transmit around Ralen, striking the Saiyan with enough force to toss his body in various directions like a pinball. He could tell that the speed and direction change had completely disoriented Ralen to the point he couldn't even attempt to fight back. After tossing Ralen around like a ragdoll for several dozen strikes, Gohan caught Ralen's battered body with the Power Pole and spun the Saiyan's body around on the staff until Gohan tossed the Saiyan into the ocean below. Ralen's body splashed explosively into the sheet of watery glass below. Gohan speculated that, at the speed Ralen was traveling, the ocean must have felt more like concrete than water.

Gohan put away the Power Pole. It was time to wrap things up. There was no telling where the next Saiyan would land – yet. Gohan searched the area for Dende and the others. He found them waiting back at the shoreline south of South City. He used instant transmission to quickly move to where his friends waited along the shore.

"Gohan!" Dende greeted as his friend appeared on the beach. "Is the Saiyan… dead?"

"I doubt it," Gohan replied.

They looked out over the ocean. The Saiyan spacecraft was almost completely submerged now. It would only be a short matter of time before it was on the bottom of the ocean.

"Is everyone alright?" Gohan asked his friends.

Each acknowledged their well-being.

"Looks like there's just one thing left to deal with then," the half-Saiyan said, turning his attention back to the ocean and the submerging spacecraft.

The sound of someone coughing heavily from a short distance down the shoreline caught their attention. It was Ralen. After Gohan had tossed him into the sea at the speed of a bullet, Ralen had found his way to the shore. As the group approached, they noted Ralen's battered armor and tears in his under suit. The Saiyan was a wreck. Ralen was on his hands and knees at the edge of the surf. Below the Saiyan's bowed head, there was a small bloody stain in the sand. A few drops still spattered from Ralen's mouth. Ralen was no longer a Super Saiyan and was missing his scouter. As Gohan and the others surrounded the Saiyan, he pushed his body up to brace on his knee. The fight was over.

"Y-you'll never…" Ralen gasped for air as he spoke. "…Beat him."

"I remember you saying something similar about yourself no long ago," Gohan replied seriously. "We all see how that played out."

"Cocky bastard," the Saiyan spat out with more blood droplets. "You're strong, don't get me wrong. You're much stronger than me; but not _him_."

"Well, we'll find out about that won't we?" the half-Saiyan asked evenly.

"I won't," Ralen said definitively.

The others remained silent.

"Father will kill me for failing," he continued. "That's just his way, you know."

"Interesting role model," Gohan commented. "But, since you bring him up, why did Paragus send you to Earth? What's his plan?"

"I already told you; I've got nothing to say to you," the Saiyan retorted.

"Sure you do," Gohan argued. "You can tell me why you continue to protect a man that conquered your people and raped your mother. I know why Paragus is bringing his army to Earth. I know what he plans to do to integrate the planet into his empire. What I don't know is _how_. _How_ is he planning on invading? Where will he be attacking next?"

Ralen remained silent.

"You expect me to believe that Paragus was good to the people of your planet?" Gohan continued to press. "Do you tell yourself that he cared about your mother? Or that he cares about you? You said yourself that he'll kill you for failing to take over South City. If I were you, I'd consider changing sides. It's not too late, you know?"

Dende and the others exchanged glances. Was Gohan seriously considering allowing the enemy to join their ranks?

The Saiyan looked up innocently at Gohan. There were faint traces of tears at the edges of Ralen's eyes.

"I thought you said you wouldn't show any mercy?" the Saiyan asked.

"I'm not," the half-Saiyan protested. "I'm showing reason."

Ralen's expression changed back to resistance.

"Shove your reason," he barked. "And your mercy, for that matter. Do you know why you and the people here can't beat Broly? It's because you're all weak and merciful. Don't worry. You'll see soon enough. There is no reason… no mercy… no weakness… You'll see."

Ralen gave a short, raspy laugh.

"Hell, I'll even give you a leg-up," he continued. "Father already knows about you and your friends in North City. He knows that there are Saiyans on Earth, and he knows how strong you are. Everything that you've said to me, he's heard."

Gohan mentally kicked himself. He had forgotten about the transmitting capability of the scouters. It had been so long since he had seen someone use one, after all. He would need to be more cautious – if there was anything left to be cautious about. He collected his thoughts before continuing with his argument.

"It's astounding to me how that Saiyans tend to talk such a big game about how resistant they are to weakness and mercy, but here we find you and those like you invading my planet purely out of fear," Gohan said finally.

Immediately he could tell he hit a nerve.

"Fear?" Ralen repeated. "It's not fear! It's pride! Pride of my family… of how powerful my family is!"

"Stop kidding yourself!" Gohan interrupted. "Your family died with your mother. Since then you've been hiding in Broly's shadow! The only reason you're here is fear! You and the rest of your army… You're all afraid of Paragus… afraid of Broly!"

"_I'll kill you!_" Ralen shouted at the top of his lungs.

The Saiyan's Super Saiyan aura exploded around him as he stumbled to his feet and swung hard at Gohan's face. The impact of Ralen's fist slammed hard into Gohan's cheekbone. However, the half-Saiyan didn't even flinch. Ralen could feel the pain and swelling begin to spread in his right hand. His focus switched from his throbbing hand to his adversary's eyes. Gohan held his gaze. In the fraction of a second that took forever, Gohan's power skyrocketed. The increase in power caused sparks of electricity to arc around his body. With the electric arcs, came a powerful, golden aura that altered Gohan's bright, golden hair straight up except for one large strand over his right eyebrow. Ralen was in shock from the power of a Super Saiyan 2.

Dende and the others shielded their sensitive eyes from the sand that flew away from the epicenter of power where Gohan stood. Despite the fact that Dende knew Gohan wasn't showing all of his power, he knew it was more than enough to get the point across. Dende had not forgotten how Gohan could get when he was enraged. The Namekian and two South Galaxy warriors were amazed at how much power one person could possess.

"No," Gohan sneered grimly, "you won't."

Faster than even Dende and the others could observe, Gohan delivered a lightening fast chop to the Saiyan's throat. Before Ralen even reacted, Gohan braced his left, outer forearm against the inside of the Saiyan's right, inner forearm. He crossed his right forearm under Ralen's punching arm, and swiftly retracted his forearm, catching Ralen's arm at the joint. The Saiyan's arm snapped instantly with a loud crack just as Ralen began to react to Gohan's chop to his throat. Blood erupted out of Ralen's mouth from the smashed larynx, as well as, from the shattered ulna bone that shredded through his fleshy forearm.

Ralen didn't lurch forward or backward. He simply dropped like a bag of stones to his knees and gasped for breath through his shattered larynx. His right arm hung limp at his side; his left hand grasped at his throat attempting desperately to aide in his respiration. Blood oozed out of his broken arm and down his open jaw onto the sandy beach. The blood in his mouth made a soft gurgling sound as Ralen choked for air.

Gohan's Super Saiyan 2 form faded almost as quickly as it had erupted. His hair and eyes returned to their normal dark color, and his power subdued considerably. He squatted down slightly in the sand so he could look Ralen evenly in the face.

"I'm going to do you a favor," he whispered coolly. "I'm going to teach Broly what it is like to have fear."

Ralen's pale face lowered and he vomited on himself and the beach. Gohan and the others grimaced as only some of the material made it out of the Saiyan's crushed throat. Ralen looked back at Gohan one last time with a final look of pain and terror as he choked and suffocated on his own fluids.

"I can be without mercy if I'm forced," Gohan explained softly. "_Soldiers shouldn't have weak stomachs_; least of all, Saiyans."

The Saiyan's eyes rolled back in his head as consciousness left him, and he collapsed on the beach. Ralen's body twitched violently for a moment before he was gone.

Gohan turned emotionlessly and walked away from Ralen's body. Dende, Baleck, and Garice exchanged glances of slight terror. Aside from their dismay and uneasiness at the sheer nauseating violence of Ralen's death, they were extraordinarily relieved that they were on Gohan's side.

Gohan stopped in his tracks not far from the others.

_"Gohan!" _The Supreme Kai's voice resounded in Gohan's mind. _"Gohan, Trunks and I are headed to West City! It appears that perhaps the Saiyans are targeting the five major cities."_

_"I'm on it,"_ he silently replied.

He turned around to face the others.

"Looks like these guys are going for the major cities," he told them. "If Paragus knows that we're all here, then he may be less inclined to take his time with these invasions. He may come straight for us. What do you guys think: East City or Central City?"

Before anyone could answer, they all felt another gaping loss of life from an explosion in East City.

"I suppose that settles the mystery, then," Baleck remarked.

"East City, then," Gohan noted.

Urgently, each touched the next's shoulder and Gohan's instant transmission helped them vanish from the shoreline.


End file.
